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Inside the not-so-invisible primary

A Republican media strategist explains the money-gathering time before a campaign.

Sure, it’s April 2015, but the 2016 election is well underway. Just this week, the Koch brothers, the billionaire conservatives, signaled that they may put their money behind Governor Scott Walker. 

The period when candidates who may or may not run amass money and buzz is often called the “invisible primary,” or the money primary. It’s a crucial time for candidates, who use it to gather funds and experts to back their campaigns. And, the invisible primary is getting longer.

Rick Wilson, a Republican media consultant based in Florida, says he hasn’t signed on to any particular campaign — yet. But that’s likely to change. Wilson says it only took about two days after the 2012 election for him to start talking publicly about the 2016 race.

Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.

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