US Republicans seen falling behind in election

A 'WAKEUP CALL'

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So will the digital advantage of the Democratic Party and its friends make a big difference in the 2014 elections?

Probably only in tight races, analysts said. These could include those featuring vulnerable Senate Democrats such as Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina. The four Democratic senators are crucial to Democrats' efforts to keep control of the Senate, where Republicans need to gain six seats to take over the chamber.

The embattled Democratic incumbents will benefit from their party's continued investment in data operations, analysts in both parties said. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has launched an effort to increase turnout in the senators' states, and plans to use voter data to mobilize people who otherwise might not vote in a midterm election.

Republicans are hoping their efforts to oust the senators will receive a big push from dissatisfaction with Obamacare and the first fruits of the RNC's revamped digital program that the party hopes will be in high gear by the 2016 presidential election.

Money is not an issue, and Republicans are trying to close the expertise gap by both hiring more experts and increasing training.

"There was a wakeup call after 2012" throughout the Republican Party, said Tim Miller, executive director of America Rising, an opposition research group for Republicans.

Even so, some Republican digital strategists say the party's investment in a digital team at the RNC headquarters in Washington has not yet translated into much help for campaigns.

"I have a dozen clients with primary elections in two months, and early voting starts in two weeks. If I were waiting for people sitting inside the (Capital) Beltway for marching orders, I wouldn't have done anything yet," Harris said. "We have had to do this ourselves without a lot of help from the establishment."