Does Trump Need More Than Marketing to Win?

(Editor's Note: The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party or candidate on the part of Newsmax.)

Winning elections is more than simply capturing voter's minds and hearts through brilliant, effective marketing.

Even though marketing is a salient tactic in all political campaigns, a better predictor in analyzing the ultimate winner is "political intelligence" (PI).

"Political Intelligence" is the art and science of counting a candidate's votes utilizing all legal means, whether new or old. PI requires an army of campaign lawyers who know the "ins and outs" of state election law that will tilt the national election for the ultimate presidential Electoral College winner.

Thus, PI plus solid marketing equals winning an election no matter how good the polls appear to favor one candidate over another. It's even fair to say that PI, Political Intelligence, can trump (no pun intended) an election's outcome, as seen in 2020's Biden-Trump electoral match-up.

This is precisely what Trump and his acolytes must realize if they want to win in 2024.

The newest distraction for the Trump camp is his recent enthusiastic reception in the Washinton Heights (not Harlem) bodega, where visitors to this photo opportunity spontaneously chanted their approval for Trump. In addition to this support was Trump's visit to a construction site where union workers overwhelmingly yelled their support for Trump.

This looks good for Trump, but Trump supporters should be given pause in their excitement. The best analysis of this phenomenon is proposed by National Review reporter Caroline Downey, who cited that more college-educated voters support Biden and the Democrats.

Downey says they are more reliable voters than blue-collar Trump supporters, who are more fickle to vote than their white-collar counterparts. Republicans must never forget that votes count, not the crowd size or volume. PI anyone?

However, there is hope for Trump and his supporters. It's PI (Political Intelligence), where the Trump voters who are currently registered are encouraged to vote early by mail or on Election Day, and a follow-up call will have to be made. This is referred to as "getting out your vote."

The second, even more important strategy is identifying Trump supporters who are not registered to vote or have not voted in the last presidential election. Here, they track their voter behavior by asking whether they voted early or will vote on Election Day. These are the proactive tactics that will safeguard a victory in 2024.

Thanks to the foresight of the new Republican Party co-chair, Lara Trump, there is hope for the Republicans. She has identified this need for PI and has tacitly engaged Scott Presler, a self-described conservative.

His website (earlyvoteaction.com) is a Republican voter portal that encourages visitors to register to vote (if not already) and then vote early. His methods will counterbalance the approach used by Democrats to guarantee that Trump votes will be counted in much the same way as Democratic votes are calculated.

It takes outsiders like Lara Trump and Scott Presler to challenge more traditional Republican consultants to buy into this new voter technique needed to win elections today and make PI the new normal for both Republicans and Democrats.

The adage that many political consultants clearly understand but supporters regularly forget is that one must always run a campaign as if one is behind. The optimistic Trump leading polls, the often misleading Washington Heights, New York City construction site rants, and the Atlanta fast food campaign should not stop the more progressive campaign tactics, namely, PI, from being implemented by the Trump team.

If Trump wants to win, he needs his brilliant marketing with good old PI.

Without brilliant marketing and PI, no one knows the outcome. One thing is certain: It's always easier (especially with PI) when one has marketing in mind.