Romney Campaign: Drudge, Breitbart Leading Rise of Center-Right Media

Thursday’s reaction to the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare was a textbook example of how the new media’s biggest players helped galvanize the center-right political movement. And it’s no surprise what website served as the catalyst for most of the energy: The Drudge Report.

“Drudge is the single most powerful force in the media today,” said Zac Moffat, Digital Director of the Romney Campaign. Lenny Alcivar, campaign spokesman, agreed: “The Governor’s simple message yesterday was, ‘If we want to repeal Obamacare, we have to replace the president.’ When Drudge highlighted that quote as a headline linked to the Weekly Standard, it began the unified message across the board on the center-right.” 

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Moffat and Alcivar discussed how websites like Breitbart and Drudge influence the way their campaign receives and delivers the news.

Moffat revealed, “I have two windows constantly up on my screen all day long, Twitter and the Drudge Report.”

Alcivar, who took a leave from the groundbreaking and influential Hynes Communications to work for the Romney campaign, sees a major shift in how the media works:

When this election is over, one of the lessons that will be learned by the mainstream media is that they no longer have a toe-hold on how Americans receive their news. Never before – in a way that has taken Democrats off stride – have we seen the confluence of an aggressive online community, led by Breitbart, and an aggressive campaign team not willing to cede an inch of ground to Democrats. This combination has created a new political reality. We no longer allow the mainstream media to define the political realities in America. The rise of Breitbart, Drudge and others, combined with an aggressive Romney campaign is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the conservative movement.

If I talk to Breitbart about an issue, thousands more will hear our message than if we give a quote to one of the hill rags.

Moffat agrees. He points to hiring Patrick Hynes as online consultant along with Alcivar as an indication of how important Romney considers the new media. “Lenny and Patrick were our first hires after we wrapped up the nomination.”

Alcivar: “Mitt knew there was a need for something outside the traditional communications team to meet the growing online center right audience. We can be faster and more nimble than the traditional communications wing of a campaign.”

He pointed to the rapid response to the Supreme Court decision as an example of their ability to harness the energy of the conservative online community. “Yesterday was a microcosm of the online strategy of the campaign.”

Citing John Nolte’s work exposing lies and hypocrisy in the mainstream media, Alcivar praised the efforts of Breitbart News in holding journalists accountable for their actions. “The senior White House correspondent for Politico is no longer there. The Romney camp didn’t do that, it was Breitbart. It sends a big signal. That wouldn’t have happened without Breitbart.”