Ready for Hillary, Emily’s List in Talks to Join Social Media Forces

Kendra Helmer/USAID(WASHINGTON) — With Hillary Clinton’s not-yet-official presidential campaign revving up, the shadow campaigns are winding down. And as part of that, the outside Democratic groups that support her are discussing how to merge their efforts to help Clinton.

Ready for Hillary, the energetic, pro-Clinton super PAC, plans to shut down for good if and when Clinton announces for president, but not before finding a home for two key assets: A massive e-mail list of roughly three million supporters that the group has generated and its extensive social media network, which includes more than two million Facebook fans and roughly 150,000 Twitter followers.

Both are seen as opportunities for marketing and outreach that can live beyond the existence of Ready for Hillary.

The e-mail list and corresponding data are expected to be transferred to Clinton’s official campaign in what is called a “list swap” – a legally complicated process that will surely be scrutinized by outside groups, such as the Campaign Legal Center, which work to enforce campaign finance laws.

The fate of Ready for Hillary’s social media accounts is still undecided.

But, Adam Parkhomenko, the executive director of the super PAC has an idea: Transfer its Facebook and Twitter accounts to the hands of another pro-Democratic group, Emily’s List.

“At the end of the day, if they wanted it, Facebook and Twitter would probably move to Emily’s List,” Parkhomenko told ABC News in a recent interview.

Parkhomenko said he believes giving the PAC’s millions of fans and followers to the national group that encourages women to run for office simply “makes the most sense.”

And Emily’s List, which hosts an initiative called “Madam President” to support a female presidential candidate in 2016, is open to the plan.

“Ready for Hillary has done incredible work to capture the grassroots excitement from folks across the country,” Marcy Stech, a spokeswoman for the group, told ABC News. “We’re excited about the prospect of merging our communities who are united in electing our first woman president.”

Under the tentative plan, Parkhomenko said the social media accounts would likely maintain their current look, including the @ReadyForHillary handle, but would push their followers to move over to Clinton’s official account.

The fact that Emily’s List and Ready for Hillary are engaging in behind-the-scenes discussions is further evidence that the establishment Democratic Party is already coalescing around a Clinton candidacy. The Republican focus at this early stage is far more scattered.

Over the next few months Ready for Hillary officials said they plan continue to hammer out the details of the group’s shut-down plan. But for now it plans to continue its grassroots efforts through March or April when Clinton is expected to announce her candidacy.

“Business as usual,” Parkhomenko said.

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