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📊 PART TWO: Data-Driven Field Strategy: From the 2000 Florida Recount to the 2013 RNC Autopsy

May 06, 2026

🎙️ Political Trade Secrets: 📊 PART TWO: Data-Driven Field Strategy: From the 2000 Florida Recount to the 2013 RNC Autopsy

Join host Dustin Olson and guest Chris McNulty—Fmr. RNC Political Director and National Sales Director at In Field Strategies—for part two of their conversation as they pull back the curtain on some of the most consequential behind-the-scenes moments in modern Republican campaign history.

From the chaos of the 2000 Florida recount and the so-called “Brooks Brothers Riot,” to the GOP’s post-2012 rebuild after Mitt Romney’s loss, to the field testing and voter-contact strategies that helped Republicans win back the U.S. Senate in 2014, this episode reveals how campaigns actually learn, adapt, and win.

The episode explores:

  • What really happened inside the 2000 Florida recount—the so-called Republican Thugs of the “Brooks Brothers Riot,” SCOTUS decision on Bush v. Gore, and more
  • How the RNC rebuilt after Romney’s 2012 loss, including lessons from the ORCA debacle, the 2012 autopsy, and Reince Priebus’ leadership
  • How microtargeting, quality voter data, and direct contact became central to modern campaign strategy
  • Why contacting voters multiple different ways isn’t annoying, but is actually necessary to get results
  • What Chris McNulty thinks Republicans should do heading into the 2026 midterms

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