Vincent Harris attends an awards ceremony on April 16 in Washington, DC. | Getty
Donald Trump has hired Vincent Harris, the former chief digital strategist for Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential campaign and for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s 2014 reelection bid, as the presumptive Republican nominee continues to ramp up his digital operations, according to multiple people familiar with the hiring.
Trump is hiring not just Harris but the services of his Austin-based firm, Harris Media, these people said. Trump has increasingly begun to focus on his digital operations, particularly fundraising, as he begins to try to build a small-dollar operation to compete with Hillary Clinton.
Trump sent his first fundraising email to his own list of supporters only last week and his campaign claimed it raised $2 million — with Trump promising to match the donations dollar for dollar — in only 12 hours.
This week, two of Trump’s son, Eric and Donald Jr., have emailed supporters asking them to raise $10 million by the end of the month, the next federal filing deadline.
It is not clear what exact role Harris will play for Trump. His firm is located not far from San Antonio, where Brad Parscale, who has worked for the Trump campaign since 2015 and for theTrump family for years before that, is based. Parscale was recently named Trump’s digital director. Harris declined to comment.
Harris is in his 20s but is already a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns. In 2012, he helped run online operations for then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Speaker Newt Gingrich. He also worked on Cruz’s Senate bid, before joining McConnell’s 2014 reelection. He worked on digital operations for the Likud Party in Israel during the reelection campaign of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as for Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign. He was widely expected to work on Cruz's campaign but made an abrupt switch last year to join Paul.
Harris has been in the vanguard among Republicans trying to tap into social media and the viral powers of the Internet to amplify a candidate’s message. Harris was an unabashed supporter, for instance, of Paul live-streaming an entire day on the trail.
Paul answered viewer questions, including, memorably, “Is Rand Paul still running for president? I dunno. I wouldn't be doing this dumbass live streaming if I weren't." (That was a joke, Paul later claimed.)
Harris wrote in a campaign post-mortem, “A campaign looking to spend money wisely, and perhaps more frugally, needs to produce content that has a viral tinge to it.”
It is a message likely to resonate with Trump, who has been frugal so far when it comes to traditional campaign spending. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
In addition to Harris, Trump’s campaign has recently hired the GOP digital firm The Prosper Group, as POLITICO reported earlier this week, and has been meeting with Cambridge Analytica, which worked for Cruz’s presidential campaign.
Harris is well known in media circles for his colorful on the record comments; a Bloomberg story in 2014 dubbed him “the man who invented the Republican internet.”
Several GOP digital experts have noticed that Harris’s Twitter feed in recent weeks had taken on a positive glow regarding Trump, including retweets about what the presumptive GOP nominee has been doing on the digital front.
Poster Comment:
Trump has now become Rand Paul's new "Apprentice".
#1: Gatlin To: hondo68 (#0)
Now, where have I heard that name before?
Hmmm ...
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 20:52:10 Reply Private Reply
#2: Gatlin To: hondo68 (#1)
Now I remember ... he is that youngster with "libertarian views" who ENDORSED Trump.
At least one libertarian with "some" sense ...
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 20:56:39 Reply Private Reply
#3: ConservingFreedom To: hondo68 (#0)
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-06-30 21:12:00 Reply Private Reply
#4: Hondo68 To: Gatlin, Banana Republican (#2)
This is a recent interview.
Orange faced windbag, complaints, concerned about limited government & constitutional approach, no endorsement.
That new apprentice Donald, is going to need a lot of schooling from Ron & Rand Paul.
Hondo68 posted on 2016-06-30 21:46:33 Reply Private Reply
#5: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#2)
Rand Paul is NOT a libertarian. He is a staunch member of the GOP that wears his dad on his sleeve.
He is a bad guy ... not as bad as your selections of GWBush, John McCain or Mitt Romney, though.
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 21:59:03 Reply Private Reply
#6: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#5)
I beg your pardon.
I don't know if you are right or if Rand Paul is right.
Rand Paul distinctly that he identifies himself as both a "constitutional conservative" and a "libertarian conservative."
I have read that no two libertarians can ever agree on one single thing.
From what I zss here ... that has to be true.
Oh, well ...
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 22:07:19 Reply Private Reply
#7: buckeroo To: hondo68 (#4)
It is a given within the political-babble-speak cheesebord.
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 22:08:11 Reply Private Reply
#8: Gatlin To: hondo68 (#4)
ROTFL! BHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 22:10:16 Reply Private Reply
#9: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#6)
Can you tell me exactly what a "constitutional conservative" or "libertarian conservative" *IS* ... if you can't, I understand completely.
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 22:10:40 Reply Private Reply
#10: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#9)
That is something you will need to ask Rand Paul.
I doubt he can tell you exactly what a "constitutional conservative" or "libertarian conservative" is because I have never seen anyone who categorizes themselves as a "libertarian" in any manner knows anything ... anything at all.
That poor boy hung around his father for too many years, it is a little wonder that he would be so misguided and have an identity crisis.
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 22:20:16 Reply Private Reply
#11: Hondo68 To: Gatlin, buckeroo, Gatlins Gulch, globalist neocon progressives (#6)
You're lying. Rand identifies himself as libertarian-ish. He doesn't wish to be identified as a libertarian. Buckeroo is correct.
The Rotten Rand apple fell far from the tree, and rolled into Gatlin's Gulch next to Mitch McConnell and yukon.
Hondo68 posted on 2016-06-30 22:24:36 Reply Private Reply
#12: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#10)
Really? Why do you say that? Don't you, as an errant poster, a wanne=be libertarian?
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 22:28:36 Reply Private Reply
#13: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#12)
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 22:35:01 Reply Private Reply
#14: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#13)
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 22:42:58 Reply Private Reply
#15: Gatlin To: hondo68 (#11)
It is important to understand who is "liying" and why.
Rand Paul used to be libertarian. Now he describes himself as “libertarian -ish.”
It’s a slight distinction, but an important one. More important is the reason why.
He decided it was best for him to go into the “libertarian closet” to run for president.
All he did was to make GOP libertarians toast after his disastrous campaign which cause the end of the line.
“You can change a Zebra’s name, but it is extremely difficult to hide his stripes and keep them hidden.” ~ Gatlin [LF - 6/30/2016]
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:05:29 Reply Private Reply
#16: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#15)
ROTFL! BHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 23:08:08 Reply Private Reply
#17: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#14)
Mind you, a Canary Clown from:
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:12:52 Reply Private Reply
#18: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#16)
I completely agree, everything about libertarianism is hilariously funny.
ROTFL! BHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:15:00 Reply Private Reply
#19: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#18)
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 23:22:20 Reply Private Reply
#20: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#19)
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:32:05 Reply Private Reply
#21: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#20)
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 23:35:37 Reply Private Reply
#22: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#21)
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:38:19 Reply Private Reply
#23: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#22)
buckeroo posted on 2016-06-30 23:46:37 Reply Private Reply
#24: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#23)
Gatlin posted on 2016-06-30 23:50:52 Reply Private Reply
#25: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#24)
buckeroo posted on 2016-07-01 00:00:33 Reply Private Reply
#26: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#25)
Gatlin posted on 2016-07-01 00:15:03 Reply Private Reply