How to influence campaigns: Take inexperienced staffers, stir in a small amount of money

Democratic group Priorities USA is trying to improve the way Democrats compete digitally in elections. In addition to spending about $50 million on digital ads this cycle, the group ran experiments behind the scenes to create a new playbook for liberal groups as they rush to catch up with GOP advantages online. The goal was to bridge the gap with Republican campaigns, which have spent a higher percentage of their election money online in recent cycles. While Democrats narrowed the gap this cycle, Democrats still believe they were outspent digitally — even in a year when Democratic money flooded the political system. An analysis by Priorities of outside groups estimated that Democrats spent $86 million online this cycle, compared to $115 million for Republicans.