# Is there a Republican message scam going on here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 11, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002 "2026-09-11T21:38:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/1 "2026-09-11T21:38:02Z")
I am now getting dozens of messages a day supposedly from Democratic candidates asking for money. I automatically block the number, but they message back soon after with the same message from a different number, and no matter how many times I block them they keep coming back. Could this be a Republican scheme to get me pissed at the Democrats and either vote against them or, at the very least not vote at all? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/2 "2026-09-11T22:41:49Z")
I certainly could see that - I was registered as a republican for a few years and my name is on sme sort of list. I get pubbie texts all the time. I tend to repl f\*ck you followed by ‘stop’ and that number [heh] leaves me alone. THen a different number texts me. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/3 "2026-09-11T22:52:02Z")
I was always registered as a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/4 "2026-09-11T22:59:42Z")
I get them on both sides. I think this is just life now ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/5 "2026-09-11T23:26:12Z")
I think there may be a distinct possibility that the messages are being sent by Democrats who want your money. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/6 "2026-09-12T00:07:57Z")
Mine are exclusively on one side only. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/7 "2026-09-12T00:09:51Z")
If you are a registered Democrat I think that would explain it sufficiently. I am a registered Democrat and I don’t know why Republicans are texting me. The ones that make me angriest though are the ones that promise to help you end spam texts. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/8 "2026-09-12T00:29:47Z")
But these are supposedly messages from Democratic candidates asking for money, but coming at such a rate, even after repeated blocking, that I have to assume they _want_ me to get pissed off at all Democrats ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/9 "2026-09-12T00:55:16Z")
The fundraisers who are actually managing these messages don’t really care about the effect on the Democrats as a whole; they just want donations to the campaign that hired them. The work that used to be done by earnest volunteers is now outsourced to mass marketers who just go down the list of registered party members and Act Blue donors. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/10 "2026-09-12T01:14:05Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The fundraisers who are actually managing these messages And the other question is: just how much of your donation goes to the “cause” and how much ends up in the pockets of the fundraisers? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/11 "2026-09-12T04:28:03Z")
Like Wayne Brady says everyday on “Let’s Make A Deal”, _It can ALWAYS be a Zonk!_ ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/12 "2026-09-12T05:17:30Z")
It’s also entirely possible that they are just scammers, and not politically affiliated in any way. They send one message to registered Democrats, and another to registered Republicans, and pocket the money regardless. Registration information can be bought by anybody. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/13 "2026-09-12T07:39:04Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > It’s also entirely possible that they are just scammers, and not politically affiliated in any way. This is my go-to assumption on all the fund-raising texts I get. This is for a variety of reasons – the way they are written, the opportunistic vibe I get from them (i.e. always plucking the hot issue of the moment to get a response) and so on. Whenever they use a name, as if they are addressing me personally, the name is always wrong. I’m not even sure they expect to get actual money, just proof that my phone number is live so they can sell it to other scammers. That’s why I never respond, just block. I’m hoping they don’t get a ping from just being blocked. I’m sure they get a certain, if small, percentage of responses with donations, which, however tiny the amounts, is pure gravy for them. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/14 "2026-09-12T08:20:58Z")
Its a business. If you send them $1000 a month then they will agree to stop spamming you texts. (Stopping the spam emails and calls that follow will cost more). ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/15 "2026-09-12T13:45:43Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I think there may be a distinct possibility that the messages are being sent by Democrats who want your money. This. Politicians really do want your money. A lot of it. All the time. To the point where it’s offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/16 "2026-09-12T13:52:21Z")
I’m pretty sure this is a “never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity” situation. Your name is on a list of potential donors that has been shared among many Democratic campaigns, PACs, etc. They are all contacting all of the people on their list as often as possible, since the cost of an individual text or e-mail is negligible. They aren’t coordinating among each other, so they don’t know you’re getting overwhelmed with texts, and in any case they’ve made the calculation that it is OK to piss off some voters as long as some of the others donate. I suspect this may be one of those things that works until it doesn’t, but the Democrats do still seem to be cleaning up with small donors, so who knows? The Republicans, meanwhile, are not contacting you because they know perfectly well you aren’t a Republican and it would be a waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/17 "2026-09-12T14:08:39Z")
I get fund-raising texts purportedly from various Democratic candidates and activist groups. Not every day and never a lot on any given day. I always respond STOP but don’t mark them as SPAM. I don’t bother to block any specific number on the assumption that the displayed number is spoofed. I never click an unknown link. If it was a person or group I wanted to support I would search and go directly to their actual website. I agree with posts that professional fund-raisers skim an unknowable percentage of what they collect. I agree with posts that the entity might be completely dishonest and keep EVERYTHING they collect. For me this is no more than a minor annoyance. If your situation is worse, I have no idea how to get rid of these texts. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/18 "2026-09-12T14:09:00Z")
I was a Republican for most of my adult life. Everything changed in the run-up to 2016, including my party registration. I also donated to a number of Dem causes, and continue to do so. Anyway, I am now friends with Dem candidates from all over the country, and I hear from them regularly. Not as bad as @Czarcasm, though. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/19 "2026-09-12T14:43:27Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > I always respond STOP Random FYI: for things you routinely type, you can set it to auto-populate by setting up a quick key - say, 3 z’s in a row. Makes it even quicker and easier. (I do this on my work phone for standard replies that I send to people) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002/20 "2026-09-12T15:20:34Z")
I am a registered Republican\* who almost always votes exclusively for Democrats. Because I’m registered GOP, I hear from that side wanting money. In 2024 I donated to ActBlue, and since then I hear from Dems all across the country wanting money. I routinely ignore and delete all messages. \*I’m a registered Republican so I can vote in the GOP primary, always casting a vote for the least of all evils. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-republican-message-scam-going-on-here/1033002.md?page=2)