Your mailboxes are about to get even heavier

Here's the thing: Both parties, the RNC and the DNC, dropped a combined 60.5 million dollars on direct mail in the 2022 cycle. Sixty-point-five million. You’d think with all the talk about digital outreach, the TikToks and the Twitter feeds, that physical mail would be dead. But no. We’re still seeing those glossy flyers, the urgent donation requests, the "return this card by tomorrow" envelopes stacking up in mailboxes from Cleveland Park to Capitol Hill. It's a procedural relic, sure, but the data clearly shows it still works for voter engagement and, more importantly, for fundraising.

Look, this isn't just about trees, though that's a valid concern. It's about voter contact, about how campaigns are *actually* connecting with you. The mail houses on K Street are booming. The print shops in NoMa are running overtime. It's a whole micro-economy built on paper and postage. It tells you something fundamental about how campaigns view their base and how they measure success. It's a tangible touchpoint in a digital age, and the money says it's not going anywhere.

Follow the money.

Jackson Cole, Washington D.C.

My colleagues on the Morning Wire dive into the data every weekday at mornings.live.