Nine Republican operatives and canvassers working with the Elon Musk-backed America PAC have voiced concerns that its high-profile grassroots canvassing for Donald Trump may inadvertently hurt his chances in key swing states. America PAC has been leading Trump’s canvassing efforts, focusing on door-to-door engagement in major swing states, while Trump’s campaign targets specific low-propensity voters. However, some GOP field veterans told NBC News that the effort might not be running as smoothly as anticipated, particularly given its substantial funding.
One significant issue raised involves the quality of data collected by canvassers, with some entries flagged as suspicious. According to operatives, certain canvassers submitted data remotely or while connected to Wi-Fi networks, which suggests that some doors were not actually knocked on. NBC News also reported that a video circulated in Nevada and Arizona demonstrating how to “spoof” locations, adding to the concerns.
A former operative disclosed that America PAC has been alerted to these irregularities, stating, “All hell has broken loose” inside the PAC as questionable data came to light last month.
In response, America PAC released a statement from its leadership and affiliated vendors — including Drew Ryun of Campaign Sidekick and Chris Turner of Patriot Grassroots — dismissing the accusations. The statement emphasized that the PAC’s canvassing initiative is “the most robust and effective” of its kind, with rigorous auditing measures ensuring the data’s credibility. The PAC leaders affirmed that they are on track to exceed their door-knocking targets despite the criticisms from unnamed sources.
The Trump campaign did not issue a response to the inquiry.
There’s going to be hell to pay’
This election cycle is the first in which so much of a presidential nominee’s get-out-the-vote effort and field operation have been outsourced to a super PAC — a model that was attempted during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ primary bid and is being replicated now for Trump. Many of those operatives who helmed DeSantis’ operation are now in charge at Musk’s super PAC, which is backed in part by roughly $119 million in investments from him.
Door-to-door canvassing, a major component of what is known as the “ground game,” can make a difference in elections that are determined by 1 percentage point or less. With this election shaping up as one in which many and potentially all of the seven major swing states could be decided by that tight margin, the Musk-backed effort could be at the front of the line for plaudits should he win — or topping the list of reasons he lost.
Those who spoke with NBC News ranged from on-the-ground canvassers to mid-level managers to senior operatives close to the PAC. They were granted anonymity to offer candid assessments and provide information without imperiling their professional prospects.
“There are enough bodies on the ground that there could still be, I think, a modicum of success,” the operative close to the effort said. “Maybe not quite the resounding success that Elon Musk was hoping he was investing in, but I do think that you can do a lot over” the final sprint.
In recent weeks, America PAC’s full canvassing portfolio has been divided among four firms: Blitz Canvassing, Patriot Grassroots, Echo Canyon Consulting and The Synapse Group, with each having certain states in its portfolio. Those groups, as is often the case in the paid canvassing universe, also subcontract out to other firms to take on part of their assignments.
The firm with the largest portfolio is Blitz, which oversees operations in Nevada, Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina. Through late October, America PAC had spent upward of $54 million on Blitz’s services, according to Federal Election Commission filings — more than the PAC has on the three other vendors combined. Phil Cox, who is heading the PAC, is also connected to Blitz. America PAC ended its relationships this summer with two other prominent GOP-aligned canvassing firms that were knocking on doors as part of its effort.
The operative close to the effort added that if several of the key swing states “come down to 10, 15, 20,000 voters, or even less, and it turns out” many of the voters Blitz was aiming to contact were not reached, “man, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
Faulty data can mess up a candidate’s get-out-the-vote effort by giving a false impression of where it needs to target or who is or is not a supporter. Such cheating has been an issue in GOP survey and turnout operations for years, and canvassing insiders acknowledge that some level of fraud by canvassers takes place on virtually any effort in both parties.
Yet operatives working on the America PAC effort, some of whom had experience working in races over the last few cycles, when canvassing operations were similarly plagued by suspicious entries, said the amount of flagged data surpassed even what they experienced then.
Data reviewed by NBC News from Campaign Sidekick, the app America PAC’s door-knockers are using as they canvass, showed what sources described as an inordinate number of potentially suspicious data entries filed in recent weeks.
In Arizona, nearly a quarter of data entries submitted in early- to mid-October were flagged in the app’s “unusual activity” log. That trigger automatically fires when door-knockers submit entries more than 100 feet away from the homes they are marking off, or if their locations are marked as a flat “zero” feet away from the homes, which occurs when the app is connected to Wi-Fi — which, in most instances, should not be the case for door-knockers walking around outside. In Nevada, more than 46,000 suspicious doors were entered into the system from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19.
A person familiar with the effort said the PAC has a “random audit program” to guard against fraud, adding, “Everyone gets an eyeball every few days.”
“The PAC uses other analytical tools to identify potential anomalies and then issues physical audits off of the forensic audit,” this person said, adding that canvassers are routinely fired for not doing the work or for fraudulently submitting data.
What’s more, this person said, Campaign Sidekick “isn’t meant to be a fraud auditing app, and the PAC doesn’t use it as such.”
“The reason the PAC is confident in its door metrics is because of the robust in-person and forensic auditing efforts each of its four canvassing firms deploy,” this person said.
A video circulating among canvassers in recent weeks shows a person demonstrating how to use a location-spoofing app to manipulate America PAC’s canvassing system, making it appear as though they completed door-knocking surveys in support of Donald Trump. NBC News confirmed with a source familiar with America PAC’s backend system that some fake entries, recorded in Nevada, went undetected initially due to the location spoofing app’s ability to place the canvasser’s location near the target's address.
Two Republican operatives provided NBC News with the video, which led Blitz, a vendor involved in the canvassing operation, to trace and terminate the canvasser responsible. The data manipulation occurred on August 29, prior to Blitz taking over the Nevada operation, and the person was dismissed on September 30 after a review of data records flagged discrepancies.
In response, America PAC leaders, including Chris Turner, Jefferson Thomas, Josh Penry, and Jon Seaton, stated that their anti-spoofing systems could detect fraudulent entries, emphasizing that location-spoofed data stands out clearly in audits. They pointed to an increase in early voting by Republicans in swing states as evidence of the program’s effectiveness. Each flagged entry, they explained, undergoes strict scrutiny, with bogus submissions dismissed, ensuring that clients are not billed for them and the affected addresses are reassigned to legitimate canvassers.
The spoofing tutorial video, first reported by *The Guardian*, showed a person filling out surveys favorably for Trump, setting responses to “Definitely Yes” for voting intention, selecting “Donald Trump” as the preferred candidate, and indicating plans to vote early. The person explained in the video, “You don’t want to go too fast. You want to make it look realistic.”
A separate audio recording from an October 8 training session in Wisconsin, shared with Reuters, indicated that canvassing organizers were doubtful about reaching ambitious door-knocking targets. A manager was recorded saying, “We’re not going to hit 450,000, not with what we’ve got right now,” though a source close to America PAC maintained that it would still surpass its July projections in every state.
An individual familiar with the PAC downplayed the challenges, stating that the program’s impact was evident in battleground early voting trends and dismissing concerns from “hucksters and prima donnas who couldn’t handle the demands of the work.”
As concerns about data integrity emerged, America PAC faced an entirely different challenge with Hurricane Helene. Canvassers reported being directed to knock on doors in Iredell County, North Carolina, on September 27, as the tropical storm approached. One canvasser shared a text chain from that day, detailing a Zoom meeting where leadership had suggested making phone calls instead. However, their direct manager insisted on continuing door-to-door canvassing.
“It was a struggle just getting into the field, with soggy literature and ponchos everywhere,” the canvasser recounted. They described the conditions as “very bad,” citing weather reports that indicated heavy rain, widespread power outages, fallen trees, and obstructed roads.
Another canvasser noted that many team members quit after that experience, recalling, “I’m knocking on people’s doors, and they’re looking at me like I’m crazy.” The manager who assigned the canvassing that day did not respond to inquiries.
In contrast, a source familiar with the operation disputed claims that anyone was directed to canvass during the storm. They stated that the Zoom call had emphasized phone calls instead, and that safety protocols were in place to keep canvassers indoors if conditions were unsafe.
Despite these assurances, the second source countered that it was “not a chance” anyone was advised to canvass in the storm's path. Canvassers and GOP operatives expressed that their concerns were aimed at improving the operation rather than undermining it, emphasizing their commitment to Trump’s campaign. “We’re there for Trump,” one canvasser stated, expressing a willingness to persevere for the cause.
Historically, GOP canvassing efforts have faced challenges, despite receiving substantial funding from donors. Experienced Republicans acknowledged that effective field operations could significantly influence close elections. David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, remarked that door-to-door canvassing would be particularly crucial in the upcoming presidential race.
Some operatives expressed frustration with the influx of inexperienced canvassers, noting that many seemed disconnected from the political landscape. One operative quipped about the new team members, suggesting they resembled “broccoli-cut Zoomers” and came from the comments section of a pro-Trump YouTube channel.
A former operative described a “shock wave” among those associated with the PAC as more issues related to the canvassing efforts became public. “Elon Musk is brilliant at what he does,” they remarked, “but you wouldn’t ask a political consultant to build rocket ships, and I don’t think you should ask someone who builds rocket ships to manage political operations without fully understanding the nuances involved.”