Trump PAC Says 1-800 Ad Approach Is Building Supporter Data

The organization has aired its ads around 5,000 times in recent months and generated "millions" of responses, according to Dan Backer, general counsel and treasurer of Great America PAC and a principal attorney at campaign finance and political law firm DB Capitol Strategies.

"As a result, Great America PAC has built a tremendous data file," said Mr. Backer. He declined to disclose how many supporters the organization has shepherded into its fold.

"They're low-propensity voters," he continued. "These are people that basically don't feel represented by the political system."

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The group, because it is registered as a hybrid PAC, is not subject to FEC regulations that prohibit super PACs from giving funds directly to the candidates they support. Great America PAC has collected thousands of $5 online donations that are earmarked for the Trump campaign. Along with those "conduit contributions" come donor contact information. According to Mr. Backer, that data is used to create "universes of look-alikes," allowing Great America PAC to expand its voter targets to include people with similar demographics to its supporters.

Mr. Backer served as plaintiffs' counsel in Carey v FEC, a U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia case that created the so-called hybrid PAC.

Originally published on Advertising Age.