Tennessee Representative’s Campaign Engages Firm With Controversial Data Practices
In recent developments, Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles has come under scrutiny for hiring a consulting firm known for its controversial data practices. Between August 2025 and January 2026, Ogles’ campaign allocated over $46,000 to Frontline Strategies, a consultancy based in Illinois that specializes in digital messaging and fundraising for Republican candidates.
Darian Rafie, a notable partner at Frontline Strategies, has previously worked as a digital advertising executive, contributing to fundraising strategies for the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Rafie’s methods gained attention in 2019 during an interview with OpenDemocracy, where he elaborated on the use of geospatial technology to discreetly collect data from attendees at political events.
Rafie explained, “There is a lot of stuff to be done with mobile phones and geo-fencing areas. Say there’s a rally somewhere, one of these big Trump campaign rallies. What we’ll do is we’ll draw a polygon around that event, and then we’ll register all the phones that were there.” In this scenario, a polygon is a custom-drawn boundary on a map intended to identify devices within a designated area.
Further detailing the process, Rafie stated
