“Everybody has to think outside the box,” Kleeb said. “For me it means that these events have become much more accessible to people.”
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is running for reelection in the Omaha-based 2nd district against Democratic challenger Kara Eastman.
Bacon campaign spokesman Kyle Clark conceded that Democrats had a head start on developing their digital fundraising tools. But he said the campaign’s own operations are going better than ever now.
“The shift to doing these things virtually is just another way that people are adapting to politics in the age of COVID, and if you don’t adapt, the chances of victory are much, much less,” Clark said.
He also stressed that the campaign has found ways to have safe in-person events with masks and social distancing.
While not a fundraiser itself, one prominent example was a Women For Bacon rally last month that featured second lady Karen Pence.
Eastman campaign manager Dave Pantos said their side has held virtual fundraisers, including one with filmmaker Alexander Payne. In some ways, doing virtual events makes it easier to get prominent guests.
“Those are going well and I feel like we’re able to do more fundraising events with more interesting people on them because of Zoom,” Pantos said.
