Political texting isn’t new anymore—but that doesn’t mean campaigns have figured it out.
In the latest episode of the Campaign Trend Podcast, Eric Wilson sits down with Phil Gordon, founder and CEO of Prompt.io, to unpack where SMS actually stands heading into the 2026 midterms. The conversation moves beyond surface-level tactics and into the structural changes quietly reshaping how campaigns reach voters by text.
Phil brings an unusual perspective to the space. Before building one of the most widely used political texting platforms, he spent years as a professional poker player. That background shapes how he thinks about campaigns: knowing when to push, when to fold, and why discipline often matters more than volume. In texting, as in poker, selective aggression beats constant action.
A central theme of the episode is how political texting has matured. What once felt like a growth hack is now core infrastructure—but also a channel with real downside if misused. Carrier enforcement, 10DLC registration, opt-out compliance, and inbox filtering are no longer abstract concerns. They’re the baseline. According to Phil, campaigns that treat texting as a one-way blast risk not only poor performance, but long-term damage to their lists and reputations.
The discussion also digs into what’s actually working. Personalization matters, but so does tone. Campaigns that offer value—information, clarity, or genuine engagement—before asking for money consistently outperform those that default to urgency and repetition. Texting works best when it’s treated as a conversation, not just a delivery mechanism.
Eric and Phil also address some of the anxieties operatives are feeling right now. Apple’s latest iOS updates sparked fears of widespread disruption, but early data suggests the impact has been limited. Meanwhile, enforcement efforts aimed at bad actors are helping clean up the ecosystem, even if the cat-and-mouse game with scammers isn’t going away anytime soon.
The episode closes with a look ahead. From emerging channels like mobile wallet notifications to the enduring importance of ethical persuasion, the message is clear: texting isn’t dead, but lazy texting is. Campaigns that adapt to the new rules—and respect the people on the other side of the screen—will continue to see results.