Barack Obama’s data machine gives Hillary Clinton boost

The vaunted data-driven machine that twice got President Barack Obama elected is revving up to help elect Hillary Clinton, as Democrats look to recreate the tactical advantage they used against Republicans in 2008 and 2012.

With Obama’s popularity rebounding, Democrats have been eagerly awaiting the president’s return to campaigning, and he’ll hold his debut event for her tomorrow in North Carolina.

Yet campaign officials say just as critical to her success could be an Obama political operation that remains potent four years after his re-election, including deep troves of voter and donor information, and a corps of trained field staffers and volunteers that Clinton’s campaign is now co-opting.

The crown jewel of Obama’s machine, an email list of supporters that included 20 million addresses in 2012, is now fully available to Clinton.

That list had been closely held within an Obama campaign committee that still exists to pay off old debt. Democratic groups and even Obama’s Organising for Action nonprofit had to rent the list for a hefty sum.

Now a copy of that list, which helped propel Obama to record-breaking fundraising, is controlled by the Democratic National Committee, which can send emails at will without going through Obama’s campaign.

That’s according to individuals familiar with the list, who weren’t authorised to discuss the arrangement and requested anonymity.

Just recently, the DNC started sending emails signed by Clinton to the entire list, including one last week inviting donors to enter a raffle to be Clinton’s guest to the Broadway musical Hamilton.

Mitch Stewart, Obama’s battleground states director in 2012, said: “The people involved in the Clinton campaign aren’t having to relearn the lessons in 2016 that we already learned in 2008 or 2012.”

Stewart who has since started a consulting firm that’s helping Clinton’s campaign, said: “A lot of them are the same people.”

Elan Kriegel, who ran data analytics for Obama, is doing the same job for Clinton, and Obama pollster Joel Benenson is now her chief strategist.

At Clinton’s Brooklyn headquarters, her battleground states director, national organising director, political engagement chief and communications director are all former Obama hands.