Lessons from Millions of Messages: How Texting Drove Victories in 2024

How did texting become a key factor in our clients' victories last year? It all comes down to delivering the right message through the right channel.

In 2024, one lesson was clear: campaigns were not just competing on message strength -  they were competing on the effectiveness of their medium.

After working with thousands of clients who sent hundreds of millions of text messages this past cycle, we have seen firsthand how texting remains a standout tool for success when stacked against other outreach mediums. For example, federal campaigns utilized texting on a significant scale. The top campaigns on our platform sent between 560k and 988k messages, averaging 830K messages sent per campaign last year.

This impressive volume underscores how critical  direct communication has become for reaching voters, and that it can be done effectively even at large scales. With clients across many states and seats up and down the ballot achieving successful flips, the impact of texting was undeniable.

Here’s what we learned from the campaigns that leveraged texting to secure their victories.

1. Texting Broke Through the Noise for Effective 1-to-1 Engagement

In the high-stakes election cycle, where every vote mattered and voters were overwhelmed with messages across TV, social media, digital and email, campaigns faced a critical challenge: how to stand out. Texting offered a unique solution by creating a personal connection with 1-to-1 impressions served.

As the same channel people use to communicate with friends and family, texting feels direct and genuine. With 97% of Americans owning a cell phone and 98% of texts being opened and read, it’s a proven way to capture attention and engage voters quickly and effectively.

Texting That Drives Event Success

Speaking of feeling direct and genuine - nothing builds connections better than face to face meetings. Many of our clients have found that the most effective way to boost event attendance is by leveraging texting. Both in-person events and texting are forms of 1-to-1 engagement, so utilizing both allows candidates to foster more powerful connections with supporters than any other medium.

Below are real examples of campaigns that effectively used texting to secure victories and reinforce their personal connections with voters:

1. Juan Fernandez-Barquin
   During his campaign for Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Clerk, Fernandez-Barquin texted supporters to a meet-and-greet event. This personal invitation allowed voters to connect with him directly, ask questions, and build trust in an approachable setting.
2. Carl DeMaio
   Running for California State Assembly (D74), Carl DeMaio’s campaign leveraged texting to mobilize voters and invite them to local events. These face-to-face interactions fostered trust and encouraged community participation, reinforcing his commitment to the district.
3. Celeste Maloy
   During her re-election campaign for U.S. House (Utah CD2), Republican Celeste Maloy used texting to engage with supporters in a meaningful way. She shared details about her election night watch party, including an RSVP link, creating an opportunity to thank her supporters and strengthen connections.

Real Text Examples

These campaigns broke through the noise of traditional methods by prioritizing authentic, personal engagement with voters. Through personalized invitations to local events, texting enabled these candidates to build trust, foster community, and demonstrate genuine care for their constituents. Focusing on meaningful connections was critical to their success across their respective campaigns.

2. Texting Was the Most Cost-Effective and Scalable Campaign Fundraising Tool

Campaigns nationwide have spent a record-breaking $10.5 billion on ads in the 2024 election cycle across TV, radio, cable, and digital platforms. Amid these soaring costs, texting stands out as a cost-effective, scalable alternative, enabling campaigns to reach thousands of voters for just a few cents per message - making it ideal for campaigns with limited funds.

Beyond affordability for pure outbound messages, texting fosters personal connections that drive inbound small-dollar contributions, making it an indispensable tool for both voter engagement and fundraising success.

A Politicoin Success Story

Politicoin’s use of texting on our platform for Mike Lawler’s campaign for U.S. House (New York CD17)  demonstrates its transformative potential. Despite facing a fierce opponent heavily funded by outside groups, Lawler secured victory with 52.1% of the vote in one of the country’s most competitive and closely followed races this past election.

Lawler’s campaign executed a series of personalized messaging sequences that included voter information, fundraising appeals, event invitations, and engaging interactive elements like images and EVTs. Over 50 uniquely targeted messages were sent to 160,000 voters, ensuring at least four tailored interactions per recipient. Here are some text examples sent throughout Lawler's campaign:

Real Text Examples

Texting was critical in driving voter turnout and delivering a decisive victory. Lawler’s campaign outperformed its 2022 results when they flipped this district with a remarkable 1,208% increase in the margin of victory, securing a win by 23,813 votes.

This example underscores how a well-executed texting strategy can overcome significant spending disadvantages, making it a powerful, cost-effective tool for campaigns looking to raise money and GOTV at scale.

3. Texting Drove Immediate Action

Texting is one of the most effective tools for driving quick results and delivering diverse messaging strategies. With text messages being open and read within just 3 minutes of delivery, campaigns can leverage this immediacy to implement various initiatives. These include requesting donations, asking for & confirming event attendance, persuasion, AB/EV chasing, GOTV, and informing voters about ballot measures to ensure they have accurate information.

Last year, the top 10 Political Action Committees (PACs) and Ballot Initiative Clients on our platform (excluding fundraising clients) sent an average of 4.16M messages. Why? When targeted to the right audience at the right time, texting's speed and effectiveness have proven to be a game-changer for campaigns.

How Alexis Weik’s Campaign Secured Re-Election

One remarkable example is from one of clients who played a key role in Senator Alexis Weik’s successful re-election campaign for New York State Senate (D8).

Their texting strategy focused on engaging voters with information about early voting details, ballot proposition information, and polling locations. Providing clear, actionable details and incorporating links and images made the content easy for voters to understand and act upon. This approach ensured voters were well-informed and prepared for when it was time to vote.

This specific texting project resulted in over 11,000 successfully delivered texts and nearly 1,000 replies generated. Here is the text example, along with some of the replies the project received:

Real Text Examples & Real Replies

Conclusion:

In a year where every vote counted, texting continued to prove itself as the go-to communication tool campaigns used to achieve results. Unlike traditional media, texting provides a direct, personal, and cost-effective way to engage voters, build trust, and drive voters to action.

Our CEO, Thomas Peters, explains it best:

For the right campaign, with the right message and the right moment, texting becomes an injection of adrenaline from day one.

While other methods often deliver results late in the game or are simply too difficult to track efficacy and ROI accurately, texting creates immediate momentum. In 2024, campaigns that embraced texting didn't just send messages - they made connections that drove the outcomes that made a difference.

What's Next?

In 2024, You Promised. In 2025, We Deliver.

This year is all about turning campaign promises into legislative action. Is your campaign ready to harness the power of texting?

At RumbleUp, we’ve partnered with thousands of campaigns to deliver impactful and scalable texting solutions that drive real results. If you’re ready to take your outreach to the next level and maximize the potential of this powerful medium, we’re here to help you develop a winning strategy. Let’s make it happen together.