Political texting vendors earned $17 million through May 2026
PACspam reported that Switchboard received $17 million in payments for political messaging services from December 2008 through May 2026. The figures come from an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by George Weiner, founder of PACspam.org and head of the digital agency Whole Whale. Weiner stated that reported payments to political messaging vendors may include services beyond texting, and the totals span multiple election cycles. The analysis also identified $14.4 million in reported payments for Mothership Strategies and $10.6 million for Message Digital over the same period. Weiner estimated that approximately $65 million was spent on political texting services during the 2024 election cycle, based on his review of FEC records. He believes spending in 2026 could exceed that amount, although a final election-cycle total is not yet available. Weiner explained that fundraising operations continue to send messages as long as the donations they generate justify the expense. He noted that even a small percentage of people responding with money can make another round of texts financially worthwhile. Political outreach operates under rules that allow unsolicited messages through peer-to-peer texting systems, which often fall outside Federal Communications Commission restrictions that apply to automatic dialing systems. The National Do Not Call Registry generally does not cover political outreach, so registering a number may not stop fundraising appeals. Weiner said organizations can use a technique called snowshoeing to spread messages across multiple phone numbers, meaning blocking one sender does not stop others from the same campaign or political action committee. PACspam offers a free tool to help users identify the committee behind political texts by analyzing fundraising links and public campaign finance information. The service also tracks repeat offenders and allows users to document complaints, though it does not automatically send those complaints on their behalf. Weiner said users do not need an account to use PACspam, and Whole Whale states that uploaded screenshots are processed and discarded while personal messages are not displayed publicly. Contacting the texting platform provider may be more effective than blocking a single number because providers often serve multiple political organizations. Weiner said he has received responses from legal departments at texting providers explaining how to request placement on their do-not-contact lists. However, one company's removal list does not apply to competing platforms, and some messages do not contain enough information to identify the sender. Users can forward unwanted political texts to 7726 to alert their wireless carrier, or submit complaints through the FCC Consumer Complaint Center for suspected violations of federal calling or texting rules.
PACspam reported that Switchboard received $17 million in payments for political messaging services from December 2008 through May 2026. The figures come from an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by George Weiner, founder of PACspam.org and head of the digital agency Whole Whale. Weiner stated that reported payments to political messaging vendors may include services beyond texting, and the totals span multiple election cycles. The analysis also identified $14.4 million in reported payments for Mothership Strategies and $10.6 million for Message Digital over the same period. Weiner estimated that approximately $65 million was spent on political texting services during the 2024 election cycle, based on his review of FEC records. He believes spending in 2026 could exceed that amount, although a final election-cycle total is not yet available. Weiner explained that fundraising operations continue to send messages as long as the donations they generate justify the expense. He noted that even a small percentage of people responding with money can make another round of texts financially worthwhile. Political outreach operates under rules that allow unsolicited messages through peer-to-peer texting systems, which often fall outside Federal Communications Commission restrictions that apply to automatic dialing systems. The National Do Not Call Registry generally does not cover political outreach, so registering a number may not stop fundraising appeals. Weiner said organizations can use a technique called snowshoeing to spread messages across multiple phone numbers, meaning blocking one sender does not stop others from the same campaign or political action committee. PACspam offers a free tool to help users identify the committee behind political texts by analyzing fundraising links and public campaign finance information. The service also tracks repeat offenders and allows users to document complaints, though it does not automatically send those complaints on their behalf. Weiner said users do not need an account to use PACspam, and Whole Whale states that uploaded screenshots are processed and discarded while personal messages are not displayed publicly. Contacting the texting platform provider may be more effective than blocking a single number because providers often serve multiple political organizations. Weiner said he has received responses from legal departments at texting providers explaining how to request placement on their do-not-contact lists. However, one company's removal list does not apply to competing platforms, and some messages do not contain enough information to identify the sender. Users can forward unwanted political texts to 7726 to alert their wireless carrier, or submit complaints through the FCC Consumer Complaint Center for suspected violations of federal calling or texting rules.