A soft-money Sec. 527 group, the Swift Boat Veterans, used this commercial in 2004 to call into question Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's record in Vietnam. Still from "Swiftboat Veterans" commercial
A Democrat-allied 501(c)(4) called the Vote Vets Action Fund used a similar tactic against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart in a close Pennsylvania race. Quin Monson, Center for Elections and Democracy, Brigham Young University
Remember the Swift Boat ad four years ago? Sixty seconds of well-honed video, produced by an obscure independent group, that crippled Democrat John Kerry’s presidential campaign.
This year, the NPR Election unit is teaming up with the Center for Investigative Reporting to report on the new crop of independent groups. With changes in political strategies and campaign law, they're potentially more important than ever.
But we need your help. Why? Even though NPR and CIR have the best research tools available, many of these groups will use strategies that will be visible only to voters.
Over to You
If you hear from independent groups, tell us about it here or send an email to secretmoney@npr.org. Which group contacted you? Using what medium? What message? When? Which races? President, Senate, House, governor.
To clarify: We’re tracking outside groups – not candidates or political parties. These groups might be unions, well-known advocacy organizations on the left or right, or entities with vague names like “Americans for a Better America.” For examples, click here to hear an early story about groups operating in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Messages We're Looking For
— Push polling: Phone calls that sound like polls but are meant to spread negative information. If you can record it, we can put it on the air.
— Organized phone banking and automated robo-calls: Again, we'd love to get the audio.
— Print: Direct mail brochures and letters. Newspaper ads. Even the flyer that someone stuck under your windshield. Scan it, e-mail it to us and it can end up on NPR.org.
— Radio ads: A favorite way to hit a target audience without drawing outside attention. Did we say we love audio?
— TV ads: We think we'll have a handle on these. But we like surprises.
These groups are out there. Please help NPR find them.
