Tracker (politics)

A tracker is a person who surveils and records political candidates. While usually passive, they occasionally shout questions.[1][2] Trackers are employed by rival campaigns, particularly in important races, to follow opponents in the hope of catching them in a gaffe, an inconsistency, or an embarrassing moment, as a part of opposition research.[2]

The term first entered popular culture in the 2006 George Allen incident when a tracker recorded the incumbent Virginia senator using a racial slur, which contributed to his failure to win re-election.[2]

As a result of tracking, campaigns have responded by limiting access to public and private campaign events.[3]

The group America Rising, founded in 2012, works for Republican campaigns to track Democratic candidates. In 2018, the Minnesota Post reported that American Bridge, a Democratic political action committee, had more than 40 trackers in the field.[2]

In 2018, NPR reported that video or audio recordings had influenced six congressional and gubernatorial races in four U.S. states, as well as local contests.[4]

In 2024, the Bernie Moreno campaign admitted using anti-recording technology to deter the efforts of trackers at its campaign events.[1]

  1. ^ a b Metzger, Bryan. "Ohio GOP candidate in key Senate race uses anti-recording tech to combat 'trackers'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  2. ^ a b c d Callaghan, Peter (2018-09-17). "How the 'tracker' became strangest, most important job in campaign politics". MinnPost. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  3. ^ Terris, Ben (October 14, 2014). "Tracking the trackers: What it's like to have the most mind-numbing job in a campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 29, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Rosenthal, Lauren (August 16, 2018). "Local Candidates Are The Subject Of Political Tracking, Too". National Public Radio. Retrieved October 29, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)