The data operation that the Trump-Pence reelection campaign conducts at each of the president’s rallies is doing more than just building a list for future fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
President Trump’s aides reveal that it is providing surprising evidence that his base is continuing to expand with the addition of Democrats, blacks, Latinos, and nonvoters.
What officials saw at Trump’s Feb. 28 rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, was typical of the audience at five other recent campaign rallies. They told us that 16% of the attendees were black, 28.8% didn’t vote in 2016, and 38.6% were Democrats or independents.
“We know from data gathered from rallies that a significant percentage of rally registrants and attendees have voted infrequently in federal elections, but they are motivated to come out to see President Trump,” said campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh.
“We also know that the president’s record of accomplishment on behalf of all Americans appeals to a wide swath of voters, including men and women, in all demographics, in all regions. He also speaks to the ‘forgotten Americans’ who politicians have left behind for decades,” he said.
At Trump’s Feb. 21 rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, 27% of attendees were black, Latino, or nonwhite, and 18% were Democrats. In several of the others, the crowds included sizable numbers of Democrats. In Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 10, 25.4% of attendees were Democrats, and in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Jan. 28, 26.3% were Democrats.
Those figures from the campaign suggest that of the 67,000 who have gotten into venues to attend Trump rallies in the past two months, about 18,500 were Democrats and independents. And many reports have shown that thousands more have been turned away from full convention halls.
The data matches campaign polling that also shows similar growth.
“It is definitely a big deal,” said campaign pollster John McLaughlin. “In a reelection, it is hard to maintain enthusiasm, but the president is increasing it exponentially,” he added of the rally data findings.
Paris Dennard, a Trump advocate and board member of Black Voices for Trump, noted the long lines of people who wait hours and sometimes days to get into Trump rallies. Those people, he said, are more than curious.
“They will be motivated to vote, and just waiting so long in lines already shows that they are motivated and committed to vote,” said Dennard, who hosts events for black voters.
“We’re seeing his base of supporters growing and not just in numbers but also in diversity,” Dennard said.
Trump has been fixated on building his base of support among blacks and feels that if support can grow from the 8% he won in 2016 to 12% to 14%, he will win reelection. He regularly meets with black leaders and often promotes his success in adding jobs and reforming jail sentences.
“Many are curious about what they are hearing about what the president is doing,” Dennard said. “That’s exactly what the president wants,” he said, adding, “If he’s pulling in more blacks, then it is an indicator that he is also moving the needle with others.”
