High-tech fundraising hits Florida politics
Wednesday, Feb 25th 2009
St. Petersburg Times
By Alex Leary, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Published Wednesday, February 25, 2009
TALLAHASSEE — Lobbyists reaching for their BlackBerry devices were taken aback by the text message.
"Having a FR on 3-2. … Hoping u can help. Call with Questions. Peter."
The fundraising solicitation earlier this week from state Rep. Peter Nehr, R-Tarpon Springs, breaks new ground in the high-pitched scramble for campaign dollars.
In 2009, candidates and their consultants are texting, instant messaging and Facebooking their way into lobbyists' attention zones.
The trend is in part driven by Barack Obama's success harnessing online social networks and text messaging, as well as that of Republicans such as Ron Paul.
The techniques underscore pressure to raise money quickly, especially with fears of a protracted economic downturn.
Legislators are prohibited from raising money during the 60-day session that begins March 3, which is why scores of events are scheduled for the day before. The maximum contribution is $500.
"I'm not that high tech, but I was advised if I want to survive, I need to get into this," said Nehr, who sent his text to about a dozen lobbyists."
Standard procedure, he said, is to pick up the phone and call, "but sometimes it's hard to get ahold of people."
Facebook is quickly becoming a vehicle for fundraising, with virtually everyone in the capital maintaining a page on the social network. People can swap messages, post photos and videos and provide "status" updates of where they are, what they are doing or what color socks they have on.
For some, the status update has become a quick advertisement for a fundraiser.
"We're used to sending out blast faxes and those get lost in all the paper," said Sally West, a lobbyist for the Florida Retail Federation."
People have really taken to Facebook, and they are always checking status updates."
West, who got the idea after following the presidential election, has used the social network twice this year to invite lobbyists to fundraisers for Rep. Julio Robaina, a Miami Republican running for state Senate, and Greg Steube, a Republican who wants to run for a House seat in Bradenton in 2010.
She attached photos of the candidates and a personal message. Facebook also has an RSVP — yes, no, maybe — function which gave West an idea of how many people would show up.
Those who were not receptive got a followup call from the candidate. One lobbyist wrote a reply on West's "wall," a bulletin board of sorts, to say he already planned to meet Steube earlier in the day.
"After you meet him at 4:30, you can still stop by at 5:30 … with a check :)," she wrote back, for all to see.
West said about 50 people showed up for the Steube event in Tallahassee last week, a large crowd for a relative unknown.
"I'll be using it again, for sure," she said.
As cool as it may be, some lobbyists are privately grumbling about the assault. At least one considered deleting his Facebook account to avoid an intrusion on his personal life. And Nehr's text message struck some as anything but cozy.
Yet the trend is just another turn in the game. It wasn't long ago that e-mail solicitations were replacing faxes, which still roll off machines in dizzying fashion.
"Fundraising is what it is. It's a necessity in the process," said Ron Book, a veteran lobbyist with a large and diverse client list. He isn't convinced the use of new communication methods is a good thing.
"In this economy, people ought to be calling if they expect responsiveness," Book said. "I think the economy is driving people to raise money earlier for fear it will dry up. It's never happened like this."
Alex Leary can be reached at aleary@sptimes.com.
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