GOP data hub brings in new senior adviser
May 24, 2021
Republicans are bringing in a veteran strategist to address concerns about the GOP’s data infrastructure following the 2020 election.
Chris Carr, who has held senior positions on the Trump reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee, has been tapped to serve as a senior adviser to Data Trust, according to three party officials familiar with the move. Carr will report to Henry Barbour, the board chair of Data Trust, and the organization’s overall leadership.
Data Trust is a key piece of the Republican Party's electoral machinery: It is the GOP's centralized hub of voter data, providing that information to vendors and consultants throughout the party. The organization's voter data is one of the building blocks that helps the party estimate which people will cast ballots in a given election and which could be persuaded to back Republican candidates. During the 2020 election, some senior Trump campaign officials complained that the party’s voter scores were inaccurate in key states.
There have also been complaints within the party and the broader world of Republican political operatives that Data Trust has been slow to innovate. Others have expressed concerns that the organization, which was founded in 2011, has been sluggish to maintain and update voter files.
Data Trust did not respond to a request for comment.
Carr is expected to engage in what one senior Republican described as a “listening tour” of party officials and vendors, where he would hear out concerns and help to coordinate.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
