RGA Welcomes DGA To The 21st Century

June 7, 2017

WASHINGTON D.C. – In response to POLITICO’s new report on the Democratic Governors Association’s “new and improved” modeling exercise, the Republican Governors Association’s Executive Director Paul Bennecke issued the following response:

“With their discovery that reliable data does exist and how it’s used in elections does make a difference, we welcome the DGA to the 21st century,” said RGA Executive Director Paul Bennecke. “Recent examples of states with gubernatorial elections that reliable and quality data had an impact on include Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland, Kansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, and many others.”

In those states, the RGA’s internal models had the Republican gubernatorial candidate leading headed into Election Day. This wasn’t by mistake. The RGA spends considerable time and resources on good, reliable data when making expenditure decisions.

“We never guess, and we certainly don’t depend on public polling. Reliable data is a key element in that process,” continued Bennecke. “The DGA and the Democrats can do all the modeling exercises they want, but it will not fix the most glaring problem they had during the last few cycles and what seems to be their problem going into 2018 – bad gubernatorial candidates with the wrong message.”

Having reliable data is important, but even more important, is having superior candidates and the right message so that good data can be used effectively to impact an election. Nearly 85 percent of the resources the RGA has spent on political expenditures in gubernatorial elections in the last decade has been in races decided by five points or less. And in most cases, the Republican candidate has been victorious after all the votes have been counted.

The RGA remains the only national political committee in America (Republican or Democrat) to pick-up seats in four election cycles in a row (2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016). Red, purple and blue states have elected Republican governors in both midterm and presidential cycles, and will continue to do so.

“Excuses and scapegoats are for losers. The RGA just wins,” Bennecke concluded.