Republican activists in key swing states report minimal visibility of teams responsible for door-to-door canvassing and mobilizing infrequent voters for Donald Trump, sparking concerns about the presidential nominee’s reliance on external groups for crucial campaign operations.
Trump and the Republican National Committee, under his control, have chosen to share voter mobilization responsibilities in pivotal areas of the most competitive states this year with organizations like America PAC, supported by billionaire Elon Musk.
Proving the absence of activity is challenging. However, with less than 50 days until the November 5 election, numerous Republican officials, activists, and operatives in Michigan, North Carolina, and other battleground states claim they have seldom or never seen the group’s canvassers. In Arizona and Nevada, the Musk-backed political action committee recently replaced its door-knocking company.
“I haven’t seen anybody,” said Nate Wilkowski, field director for the Republican Party in Oakland County, Michigan, which includes critical Detroit suburbs. He specifically referred to America PAC. “Nobody’s informed me that they’re active in Oakland County areas.”
Trump has depended on the loyalty of his dedicated base in an election expected to hinge on voter turnout. The limited evidence of what was described as a sophisticated operation has led some party activists to question its effectiveness. Trump’s campaign considers the race with Vice President Kamala Harris a toss-up among likely voters but believes it has an advantage among those who abstained in 2016 and 2020, making outreach to them crucial.
This effort is particularly vital in Michigan, where Trump lost by fewer than 160,000 votes in 2020, and where the GOP started the year in debt and embroiled in a contentious leadership dispute.
Michigan’s Republican chairman, Pete Hoekstra, stated he was informed that America PAC canvassers arrived in late August and were active. A spokesperson for the PAC confirmed canvassers were present in Michigan, as well as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — the seven most competitive states. The spokesperson declined to disclose the number of canvassers across these states.
Meghan Reckling, owner of a Republican canvassing firm in Michigan, reported seeing two America PAC canvassers on Tuesday in Oakland County. Recognizable in blue polo shirts with “America” logos, they were working in an area identified by Reckling’s data as having low-propensity voters.
“They seemed to have a pleasant exchange with the woman who answered the door, likely talking for about five minutes,” Reckling observed. “From what I saw, they were clearly engaging in direct conversations.”
However, interviews with over two dozen activists and party officials across the seven battleground states revealed such sightings were rare.
“I don’t know what the PACs are doing,” said Mark Forton, GOP chair in Macomb County, Michigan, a populous suburban area northeast of Detroit. “I’m not sure if they are canvassing door to door.”
Trump aides claim the campaign has approximately 30,000 volunteer captains identifying less likely voters locally, including through neighborhood canvassing.
Campaign political director James Blair estimates nearly 2,500 paid canvassers, with America PAC comprising a significant portion, are active in the seven states. The PAC has paid canvassing firms over $14 million since mid-August for presidential campaign work, according to Federal Election Commission spending reports.
Blair refuted claims that the campaign was outsourcing work to external groups. Instead, he stated the campaign was leveraging “the resources within those groups to enhance contact frequency and coverage within target areas.”
“We are focused on low-propensity voters because it strategically makes the most sense for winning these states, and these groups’ efforts have helped reach them,” Blair said.
America PAC is managed by former top aides to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unsuccessful presidential campaign. Trump’s team is also collaborating with groups like Turning Point USA, led by conservative millennial Charlie Kirk, and the Faith and Freedom Coalition, headed by Christian conservative Ralph Reed, to reach less-frequent voters.
The campaign’s strategy partly stems from an FEC ruling this year allowing candidates’ campaigns and outside groups to coordinate canvassing efforts with super PACs, specifically sharing voter lists and data collected door to door. This enables campaigns to share labor- and cost-intensive ground efforts with groups that can accept unlimited donations.
Harris’ ground outreach in the seven states is led by campaign-paid staff, numbering nearly 2,200 across more than 328 offices. Campaign aides noted that labor-affiliated groups were canvassing independently of the campaign.
Most activities by outside groups supporting Harris focus on advertising. Based on ad reservations for Harris and her leading super PAC, they are projected to spend nearly $175 million more than Trump’s campaign and his leading super PACs by Election Day. Harris’ campaign has outspent Trump’s on advertising by a 2-to-1 margin since she entered the race on July 23, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
Recently, America PAC, the most prominent group assisting Trump in 2024, faced challenges.
America PAC dismissed Nevada-based canvassing company September Group, according to two sources familiar with the situation. America PAC had paid the company nearly $2.7 million a month ago, according to FEC reports. The sources, who discussed September Group’s dismissal, requested anonymity to discuss private business decisions.
A spokesperson for America PAC declined to confirm the dismissal.
Trump is not the first candidate to delegate typical campaign-managed duties to external groups. However, this arrangement has not always been smooth for others who have attempted it.
Last year, DeSantis entrusted much of his Republican presidential campaign’s political outreach to a super PAC called Never Back Down, which experienced conflicts between its board and top campaign personnel leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Despite starting with roughly $100 million, DeSantis withdrew after losing the first contest in Iowa.
In his unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush attempted a similar strategy, delegating much of the political infrastructure work to a super PAC called Right to Rise, which raised over $114 million in 2015.
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