Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1546427
HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 9 POLITICS & POLICY Campaigns also must be ready to move quickly when an opportunity for timely content arises. Tammaro said Fazio recently attended a meeting with West- brook business owners where the proposed redevelopment of the shuttered Westbrook Outlets was discussed. After hearing the discus- sion, Fazio turned to Tammaro and said, "That should be a video." Within an hour, they were recording at the outlets. In the video, Fazio used the proposed redevelopment to criticize the Lamont administration's handling of business permitting. Tammaro said the post quickly generated engagement, illustrating social media's speed advantage. Campaigns can lose an online audi- ence if they miss a moment by even a few hours, he said. Fazio is also closely involved in deciding what becomes social media content, Tammaro said, arguing that audiences can sense when candi- dates are personally involved with their accounts or when everything is being handled "behind a curtain." While younger candidates may have an advantage — Fazio is 36 and Lamont is 72 — Davis said age alone does not determine success. Social media requires a different communi- cations skill set, she said, and some candidates are simply more natural on camera than others. 'Likes' vs. votes Measuring whether all that activity actually produces votes remains difficult. Cattan, of the Lamont campaign, compared political social media with email marketing, where a retailer can track purchases directly to a link. A political campaign can't similarly determine how many votes resulted from a social media post. Instead, Lamont's campaign uses Mobilize, an online organizing plat- form, to track actions such as sign-ups for canvassing and phone banks. Tammaro added that if a post receives 5,000 likes, "we're not saying that's 5,000 voters. It'd be pretty irre- sponsible to make that connection." Fazio campaign communications director Hannah Lemek said certain social media posts have led to increases in volunteer inquiries and requests for lawn signs. Tammaro also said Fazio's first two town halls, in Southington and New Haven, each attracted more than 200 people after being promoted almost entirely through social media. Social media platforms also give campaigns a paid option to put messages in front of voters who do not already follow a candidate. The distinction between paid and organic content is important, Davis said. Bronin ran a greater variety of paid promotions and sponsored posts on Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms than Larson did, she said. Paid advertising works best when it complements organic content, she added. That combination is also part of Lamont's strategy, Senior campaign adviser Rob Blanchard said. Spending shift Despite the growing emphasis on social media by political campaigns, Davis does not expect traditional advertising to disappear. But the broader shift toward digital media has been underway for years, she said, accelerated by consumers cutting the cable television cord in favor of streaming services. Asked whether political campaigns will eventually shift a significant share of their advertising dollars from traditional media to digital and social platforms, Davis said that point may have already arrived. "I would not be surprised if that's already happened," she said. "There's definitely a place for traditional media in a campaign's marketing mix," Davis added, "but there's little doubt that most politi- cians have a strong digital compo- nent to their paid advertising." Facebook Reels posted by Luke Bronin's congressional campaign featured direct-to-camera messages, campaign appearances and endorsements.