By Thomas Lodico
Today in political campaigns, candidates seem willing and able to push aside typical campaign tactics to help them stand out from the crowd, as can be seen by Jeb Bush using Snapchat when he decided to announce his run for the Republican nomination for president. Bush was not alone is trying to use 21st century technology to help set him aside from the others, Ted Cruz recently did a Buzzfeed interview where he showed the world his best impersonation of Mr. Burns, a character from The Simpsons. As candidates are willing to set aside the normal campaign stops at dinners and town hall style meetings, to help attract attention from the voters, one can see a shift in how Super PACs are changing for the upcoming 2016 election.
During any election season, Super PACs flood the television and radio airwaves with commercials and comments on how their candidate is superior and then other commentaries with rather unflattering comments about other candidates. Speaking frankly, while television remains a part of our lives, the radio seems almost dead. As more and more people turn to subscription based services for entertainment such as Netflix and Hulu for television and Spotify for music, Super PACs must be willing to adapt to changing times. This is where one can see Super PACs moving from content on the airwaves to actual feet on the ground.
Behind the scenes, Super PACs are changing the game, from constant television ads to door-to-door canvassing. For the 2016 campaign, Super PACs will be seen as a tool to get out the vote for certain candidates. Concerned American Voters, a super PAC encouraging GOP voters to cast their ballots for Rand Paul, has already made waves in Iowa. This shift in responsibility is going to be a crucial characteristic for the 2016 election, and could help candidates from the bottom of the pack rise to become a viable nominee. At this early stage, two things seem certain for Super PACs in the 2016 election, first that they are not going anywhere and second that they will continue to raise enormous amounts of money to help their candidate reach voters and the party ticket.