IE

Independent Expenditure Mail vs Campaign Mail

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

While they share a number of similarities, independent expenditure mail and candidate campaign mail also have quite a few differences. Both independent expenditure mail and candidate campaign mail may have the same primary goal (i.e., getting a candidate elected), but the means that they use to get there can vary.

IE Assets

Independent Expenditure Campaigns: What They Can and Can't Use

by Tobias Cebulash (He/Him)

What information independent expenditure (IE) campaigns can use depends on who you ask, and what set of laws you’re covered by. In recent years, you may have seen candidate campaigns that appear to bend over backward to make photos and b-roll videos publicly available on their website (a classic example of this being “McConnelling,” which went viral in 2014). Why? What are voters going to do with all this stuff? Well, it turns out that in most cases, the audience isn’t the run-of-the-mill voter at all. These campaigns may instead be trying to make information publicly available for independent expenditure campaigns to use.

IE FAQs

What are Independent Expenditures? (And Six Other Independent Expenditure FAQs Answered)

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

We wanted to answer some basic independent expenditure frequently asked questions (FAQs). From simply defining what an independent expenditure (aka IE) is to discussing contribution limits, this article aims to provide background and clarity on IEs and how they work.

6 tips for IE

6 Tips for Your Independent Expenditure Campaign

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Many people think about creating an independent expenditure campaign (IE campaign), but very few will actually take the time to do it. If you don't know a lot about IE’s, check out our IE FAQ here. IE campaigns should work to accomplish two goals:

Do no harm (to your candidate). A poorly run IE campaign can hurt more than it helps. Make sure you are working with attorneys and a professional team to understand the right message and applicable laws to your campaign.

Do something that benefits your desired outcome. You don’t have to run a duplication of the candidate’s campaign to be successful. The best IE campaigns have a very specific goal and follow through on executing a plan that focuses on their goal.

IE Campaign Planning

Independent Expenditure Campaign Planning

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

Here at The Campaign Workshop, we have written a lot about independent expenditure strategy in the past, but the key takeaways never change:

  1. Know your goals.
  2. Do no harm.
  3. Don’t duplicate efforts.
5 children standing against a white board with books on their heads.

Independent Expenditure Planning Quick Tips for IEs

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

An independent expenditure is an effort that expressly advocates for or against a candidate which is not made in coordination with any candidate campaign by a third party entity. When planning an independent expenditure campaign for or against a particular candidate it’s important not to make these three common mistakes.

IE Creative Mediums
money symbol made out of money

What Is an IE Spending on Digital? Independent Expenditure Research

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

Unlike TV or radio, digital IE spending doesn’t come with an easy competitive report to help you track who is spending what and where. It’s a bummer, I know. That said, in their efforts to stave off regulation, oversight, and additional congressional inquiries (or maybe I’m too cynical and it’s actually out of the kindness of their democracy-loving hearts), many of the large platforms have started to provide real-time databases for political advertising. To find out what an IE is spending, it will certainly help to know the name of the committee (especially if you’re working in a cluttered independent expenditure field), but there’s a fair amount of flexibility in the search terms, so you should be able to find what you’re looking for using related keywords (think: the candidate’s name).

Albuquerque mail piece that reads, "Don't let crime break alburquerque"
Woman from the shoulders down sitting on a bench with a pen and notebook in hand. She is wearing a patterned orange shirt.