Republican Donor Backs Clean Energy Senators with Digital Campaign

A Republican political donor said on Wednesday he would spend "seven figures" on a targeted digital campaign backing two senators who support clean energy policies, which could help tip the balance in their tight November re-election races.

Jay Faison, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based executive of an audio-vision equipment company, said he would endorse Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio and Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire for re-election.

Portman is a co-sponsor of a bipartisan energy efficiency bill, while Ayotte is one of the only Republican supporters of President Barack Obama's plan to cut carbon emissions.

Both are running in swing states.  Faison wants to defend conservatives who have led on clean energy issues.

He will use what he calls a "digital first" approach focused on direct online marketing, social media and data mining to target swing voters who care about climate issues and tailor political messaging, methods he said Republicans have been slow to adopt.

"For right or wrong, the Republican Party is branded as non-environmental, which we want to help fix," Faison said in an interview.

In February, Faison launched a Super PAC that will spend around $5 million to support congressional Republicans who support clean energy and environmental protection.

Faison did not say who else he plans to back.

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