Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How can Democrats reach the elusive swing voter? Danielle Butterfield, executive director of Priorities USA, one of the most important PACs in Democratic politics, joins Dan to talk about Priorities' attempts to reshape how Democratic campaigns think about targeting voters on the internet. She breaks down their research into how voters are looking for information on search engines, why campaigns need to rethink how they talk to voters on YouTube, and how Priorities USA is getting out ahead of 2028 by trying to frame JD Vance and Marco Rubio in swing voters' minds before the presidential election begins.
CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS
HIYA: hiyahealth.com/CROOKED
WILD ALASKAN COMPANY: wildalaskan.com/CROOKED
HIMS: hims.com/CROOKED
HELIX: helixsleep.com/crooked
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
4:07 Why Democrats' digital spending isn't working
16:08 Ad break
19:45 Google, chatbots, and YouTube as search engines
26:32 What people actually search for
37:09 Ad break
39:35 Where disengaged voters actually hang out
51:20 Ad break
51:55 The JD Vance ad
01:05:22 The Marco Rubio ad
01:09:15 Meme-ifying the candidates
01:11:41 Advice for 2028 campaigns
Join this channel to get access to perks like ad-free episodes and exclusive videos:
youtube.com/channel/UCKRoXz3hHAu2XL_k3Ef4vJQ/join
Head to CrookedCon.com for tickets, lineup announcements, and more! crookedcon.com
For a transcript of an episode of Pod Save America, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
Subscribe to our channel! youtube.com/crookedmedia?sub_confirmation=1
Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive
Crooked believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. At a time when it’s increasingly easy to feel cynical or hopeless, former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor have created a place where people can have sane conversations that inform, entertain, and inspire action. In 2017 they started Crooked with Pod Save America—a no-bullshit conversation about politics. Since then, we continue to add shows, voices, and opportunities for activism, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world. That’s it. End of mission.
Learn more about Crooked at crooked.com
Follow the pod on Twitter twitter.com/podsaveamerica
Follow Crooked on Facebook facebook.com/CrookedMedia
Follow Crooked on Instagram instagram.com/crookedmedia
How can Democrats reach the elusive swing voter? Danielle Butterfield, executive director of Priorities USA, one of the most important PACs in Democratic politics, joins Dan to talk about Priorities' attempts to reshape how Democratic campaigns think about targeting voters on the internet. She breaks down their research into how voters are looking for information on search engines, why campaigns need to rethink how they talk to voters on YouTube, and how Priorities USA is getting out ahead of 2028 by trying to frame JD Vance and Marco Rubio in swing voters' minds before the presidential election begins.
CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS
HIYA: hiyahealth.com/CROOKED
WILD ALASKAN COMPANY: wildalaskan.com/CROOKED
HIMS: hims.com/CROOKED
HELIX: helixsleep.com/crooked
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
4:07 Why Democrats' digital spending isn't working
16:08 Ad break
19:45 Google, chatbots, and YouTube as search engines
26:32 What people actually search for
37:09 Ad break
39:35 Where disengaged voters actually hang out
51:20 Ad break
51:55 The JD Vance ad
01:05:22 The Marco Rubio ad
01:09:15 Meme-ifying the candidates
01:11:41 Advice for 2028 campaigns
Join this channel to get access to perks like ad-free episodes and exclusive videos:
youtube.com/channel/UCKRoXz3hHAu2XL_k3Ef4vJQ/join
Head to CrookedCon.com for tickets, lineup announcements, and more! crookedcon.com
For a transcript of an episode of Pod Save America, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
Subscribe to our channel! youtube.com/crookedmedia?sub_confirmation=1
Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive
Crooked believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. At a time when it’s increasingly easy to feel cynical or hopeless, former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor have created a place where people can have sane conversations that inform, entertain, and inspire action. In 2017 they started Crooked with Pod Save America—a no-bullshit conversation about politics. Since then, we continue to add shows, voices, and opportunities for activism, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world. That’s it. End of mission.
Learn more about Crooked at crooked.com
Follow the pod on Twitter twitter.com/podsaveamerica
Follow Crooked on Facebook facebook.com/CrookedMedia
Follow Crooked on Instagram instagram.com/crookedmedia
