Not Worth Being “Micro-Targeted” — Congressional Candidate Just Walks On By

Not Worth Being “Micro-Targeted” — Congressional Candidate Just Walks On By

It was my big chance. Democratic candidate for Congress Gabe Amo was walking down my street while I was out doing yard work.

Sure, I was drenched in sweat, and I looked very much the role of a worker: filthy, sweaty tee-shirt and baseball hat on backward. And, few homeowners on the East Side do their own lawn work — it is a landscapers’ paradise.

Amo looked at the small device in his hand and looked at my house number, and kept going.

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He gave a bit of a nod and was not stopping. His target was further down the street. A Brown professor who lived next door clearly met the criteria of his micro-targeting — a registered Democrat and regular Democratic primary voter.

I could hear the conversation. Our neighbor answered the door and told him he was busy and shooed Amo away. I felt somehow better about my being Heisman-ed.

Even though I have regularly voted in Democratic primaries in recent years, I disaffiliate. I have also voted in a number of Republican primaries over the years, and I disaffiliate.

The reality is, I, like the vast majority of those who live in the first district, don’t "matter." Unless we have made the list of likely primary voters, we are invisible — especially so when sweaty and dirty.

The vast majority of those living in the first congressional district are not in the database feeding into the handheld device set up by the consulting group.

A long-time ago, I ran for the City Council in Providence as an independent against a sitting Democrat in a minority ward, and he was Black. I worked like a dog. I campaigned at the houses that had my opponent's signs on their lawns. I registered voters. All things your consultants tell you not to do.

One day, while campaigning, a family was moving a refrigerator into their home and was clearly struggling with the hand truck. In the summers of college, I worked in a jewelry findings warehouse, moving barrels of findings that weigh hundreds of pounds.

At that time in my life, I was skilled at working a hand truck.

I introduced myself and offered to help them move their refrigerator. I took the refrigerator up a stone step down the side walkway and up the backstairs.  The refrigerator was in the kitchen.

The three were grateful and promised to vote for me.

A few months later, in November, on Election Day, I upset the sitting Democrat. I won by 17 votes. In my mind's eye, I always counted the “refrigerator votes” as three of the 17. In reality, I have no idea if they voted for me or if they were even registered.

Amo is on a mission. He recently worked at the White House. He is an important man on an important mission.

He does not have time to stop and meet Rhode Islanders. He must micro-target.

The consultants are right; micro-targeting is important. There is time to get to know everyone else after you get elected.

You can be a man of the people later.

 

Josh Fenton is the CEO and co-founder of GoLocal. At one time, he served on the Providence City Council as an independent, and he also once worked in a warehouse.