The Republican National Committee’s data arm last year
called it a “historic” occasion when it struck a deal to share voter information with the Koch brothers’ rapidly expanding political empire.
It was an uneasy détente between the party committee, which views itself as the rightful standard-bearer for the GOP, and the behemoth funded by Charles and David Koch, which is free of the
campaign finance restrictions that
bind the RNC and plans to spend
almost $900 million in the 2016 election cycle to elect a Republican to the White House.
Party leaders, including the current chief digital officer for the RNC,
hailed the deal as an important step forward in the GOP’s attempt to modernize itself. But after the fall midterm elections, the deal was allowed to expire without being renewed. Since then, relations between the two sides have soured, turning into what one Republican operative described as “all-out war.” Interviews with more than three dozen people, including top decision-makers in both camps, have revealed that the Kochs’ i360 platform for managing voter contacts — which is viewed by many as a superior, easier-to-use interface than what’s on offer from the RNC — is becoming increasingly popular among Republican campaigns.
The RNC is now openly arguing, however, that the Kochs’ political operation is trying to control the Republican Party’s master voter file, and to gain influence over — some even say control of — the GOP. “I think it’s very dangerous and wrong to allow a group of very strong, well-financed individuals who have no accountability to anyone to have control over who gets access to the data when, why and how,” said Katie Walsh, the RNC’s chief of staff.
The fight between the RNC’s chairman and the political operatives affiliated with Charles and David Koch over who controls the rich treasury of data on likely Republican voters has raised fundamental questions about what role the party’s central committee — even under the best management — can hope to play in
the age of super-PACs. And it raises an even more fundamental question of how you define a political party.
Super-PACs emerged as a major new force in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010. They now populate a
political landscape that has been
radically changed, leaving political parties weaker than they have ever been.
Presiding over the RNC in this new era has been Reince Priebus, who by all accounts has had a successful run as chairman since 2011. He brought the committee
out of debtand has been
a prolific fundraiser. He has worked hard to
reform the party primary calendar to prevent a protracted fight similar to the 2012 primary that exhausts the eventual nominee. He has
exerted control over the presidential primary debates, taking a hard line against moderators from media outlets who are perceived to be biased against Republicans, though he is experiencing
pushback over his attempts to limit the number of participants in debates. And he has
infused the building with young, digital-savvy staffers and elevated the importance of data, analytics and new technologies inside the committee.
Priebus believes the RNC is the proper custodian of the Republican Party’s master file on the nation’s electorate, which is used as a starting point for campaigns, who then use that information to build lists — called voter universes — of the people in a state or district that they want to target for both turnout and persuasion. Volunteers and donors are also targeted for recruitment using such lists.
The core issue, from Priebus’ point of view, is one of loyalty and allegiance. The RNC is a permanent entity, committed to the Republican Party without question. The Koch network is too independent from the party to be trusted with possession of the GOP’s most valuable core assets. If the Kochs — whose political history is steeped more in libertarianism than it is in any loyalty to the Republican Party — decided next week to use their database to benefit only their massive multinational corporation, they could do so. The RNC, Walsh said, “has one job: to elect Republicans.”
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Webster
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