WASHINGTON – For the millions of Americans on the radar of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s campaigns and those of their allies, the apocalypse is just a text message away.

The very future of the republic is at stake, some texts say and many others imply. But you (yes, YOU, Sally, José or insert your name here) can save it. For only $7.

Texting is a cheap and easy way to reach potential voters and donors, without all the rules meant to keep traditional paid advertising somewhat honest. Both sides are aggressively working on the text message channel. In the final days of the campaign, the phone pings can be relentless.

“All day, every day,” Robyn Beyah said of the torrent as she stood in line for a Kamala Harris rally outside Atlanta last week. “They have my number. “We’re practically best friends.”

Beyah is fine with that. She considers the text message barrage “harmless” because it is for a candidate she believes in. He even invites the Harris campaign to “harass me with text messages.” Not all voters are so charitable.

“To be honest, at this point, I’ve turned it off from my brain,” said Ebenezer Eyasu of Stone Mountain, Georgia, standing in the same rally line as Harris. He said the dozen text messages he receives each day have become “background noise.”

Sarah Wiggins, a 26-year-old graphic designer from Kennesaw, Georgia, who supports Harris, prefers face-to-face persuasion. “I feel like it’s all about the people around you,” he said. “Word of mouth is underrated.” As for the texts, “I just delete them, to be honest. “I don’t want to read it.”

Many Trump supporters are also harassed. Several at his rally in Tempe, Arizona, last week professed mild discomfort about it.

“They’re more of a nuisance than anything else,” said Morse Lawrence, 57, a physician’s assistant from Mesa, Arizona. “I also get bombarded with text messages outside of political topics. People who want to buy my house, people who want to sell me insurance, that’s it.”

Consider it an effective marketing strategy for campaigns even if the vast majority of recipients don’t bite. “You go fishing and you catch two fish, and you have food for the day.”

Jennifer Warnke, 57, of St. John’s, Arizona, also at the Trump rally, expressed mixed feelings about what’s happening on her phone.

“At least they’re getting closer, because for years no one called me,” he said. “I’ve been a registered Republican my entire life and no one ever called.”

He added: “It’s annoying, but it’s almost over.”

Campaigns weave a fantasy

The Trump campaign, while singularly obsessed with selling hats via text message, shares certain traits with Democrats.

Both sides issue dire warnings in case the other side wins. They both make up fake deadlines to get you to hurry up with your money. Both play on the fantasy that luminaries (whether Harris, Trump, George Clooney, Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump Jr.) text you personally, rather than the machinery that actually does it.

The text messages under Trump Jr.’s name come with a twist, albeit a transparent one: “Please don’t give five dollars to help Dad before his critical deadline. I’m serious. No. …Let me explain.”

The explanation is a link to a page that asks for much more than 5 dollars. You can choose $20.24 if you’re a core Trump supporter in 2024 or $47 if you think the 45th president was the greatest of all time and want to make him the 47th.

Trump himself seems to be very interested in merchandising. “Sending you a gold MAGA hat!” say texts on your behalf. “Should I sign it?”

Tap it and you’ll see that the MAGA hat with gold letters will cost you $50. But there is more.

“Here’s my offer,” says the digital Trump. “If you order before the midnight deadline, I can add my signature and a quick personal note right on the edge.” May… or maybe not.

Thirteen days before Election Day, as she prepared to take the stage for a CNN town hall, Harris took a moment to confide in a Virginian she doesn’t know at all. At least that is the scene that a text draws in its name.

“Hi Chris, I’m Kamala Harris,” the message says. “It would mean a lot to me if you would add another donation to our campaign before my town hall on CNN tonight. “Donald Trump and his allies are currently outspending us in battleground states.”

A donation of $40 is suggested. Hat is not offered. Despite the message’s angst over cash, Harris’ campaign and affiliated Democratic groups have raised more than $1 billion in just a few months and have maintained a large financial lead over Trump in the final stretch of the campaign. .

The pings keep coming

Ping: “I’m Elizabeth Warren. “

Ping: “From Trump: I JUST LEFT MCDONALD’S.”

Ping: “We’ve asked you NINE TIMES if you support Kamala Harris… but you never filled out the survey.”

Ping: “I just left the debate stage.” – signed by Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Ping: “This is a F#@%ING GREAT DEAL.” – on behalf of Democratic strategist James Carville.

Ping: “I’m Nancy Pelosi. I need you to see this.”

Ping: “But you haven’t stepped up to defend our Senate majority!?! Rush $7 now.”

Ping: “I have a McGift for you! It’s President Trump. Do you want to take a look?

Are they legit?

Despite the background of some presidential campaign texts, experts say you can be reasonably sure that donations to candidates’ official campaigns or major party organizations will be used for their intended purpose.

But many more groups are asking for cash during election season, not all of them are legitimate, and figuring that out takes work. Some voter mobilization groups that claim to be funded by the left, for example, may be mischief makers from the right or simply collecting personal information about you.

This month, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin wrote to U.S. and state attorneys general to report that thousands of fraudulent text messages from an anonymous source were sent to young people threatening them with $10,000 fines or prison sentences if they They voted in a state where they were. You don’t have the right to vote.

The scam was intended to intimidate out-of-state students who have the legal right to vote in Wisconsin if they attend college there, or to vote at home, the letter said.

Last weekend, thousands of Pennsylvania voters received a text message falsely claiming they had already voted in the election, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday. It was from AllVote, which election officials have repeatedly flagged as a scam, the newspaper said. The group said the false claim was the result of a typographical error.

Experts recommend reading the fine print at the bottom of any fundraising link you open. You must indicate the name of the group and where the money will go.

From there, people can go to sites like OpenSecrets or the Federal Election Commission to see breakdowns of income and expenses by groups that are registered as political action committees. High overhead and little or no spending on advertising or canvassing campaigns are red flags.

For all those traps, Beverly Payne of Cumming, Georgia, who already voted for Harris and volunteers for her, welcomes the pings.

“I get text messages every 30 minutes and I respond to each and every one of them,” Payne said. One favorite was an ice cream flavor released for Harris by Ben & Jerry’s, Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee layered with caramel and topped with red, white and blue star sprinkles. “I had to donate for that,” he said.

“It’s our culture now, we’re all addicted,” Payne said of the texts and Harris’ use of them. “Maybe that’s why he has a billion dollars.”