Welcome to Victory Lab, a blog from the people who brought you Victory Lab, the Slate column, and The Victory Lab, a book that will be published next month.
All of the Victory Labs are about what I loosely call the science of campaigns. That means this blog will emphasize mechanics and technique over messages and candidates. There are many wonderfully ineffable aspects of the democratic process, but this blog will devote itself to the measurable ones. Many posts will document the work of the cadre of skeptical experimenters and data mavens who obsess not over the sweeping strategic gesture but the small tactical improvement that can win votes. (There’s a reason Politico called my book “Moneyball for politics.”)
For the next three months, I will take you on a tour of the election landscape, at all levels of office, keeping a close eye on elements of the electioneering enterprise that the media too often ignore. In other words, this will be the blog written for the person who cares what direct mail and web ads the little old lady in Dubuque sees—and why.
Please share your suggestions, ideas, and leads with me by email at sashaissenberg@gmail.com or via Twitter at @victorylab. I hope you can help me see what campaigning looks like on the street where you live: Please besiege me with pictures of the mail you receive, reports of the phone calls you’re getting, and the canvassers you’re seeing, and I’ll help you understand why they think they can change your behavior or swing you to their cause.
