Republican National Committee (U.S.). Opposition Research Group.

Republican Party research organization.

From the description of Opposition Research Group records, 1960-1984. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754872251

Historical Note

The Opposition Research Group operated as part of the Communications Division within the Republican National Committee, chaired by Michael Bayer. The group was formed "in 1984 with its own budget of $1.1 million, to create a master data bank of computerized voter research and opposition research. Staff amassed information on eight Democratic presidential candidates based on data from voting records, Congressional Record speeches, media clippings and transcripts, campaign materials, all of which was stored on a computer for easy access. In this way the party was able to track inconsistencies of its opponents and attack them. This original data base evolved into a network that linked information gleaned by Republicans in all 50 states, creating a master data base accessible to high-ranking Republican staff, even aboard Air Force One when Ronald Reagan was president."

Source:

J. M. Bayer & J. Rodota, "Computerized Opposition Research," Campaigns & Elections, 6, p. 26-27.

From the guide to the Opposition Research Group records, 1960-1984, (Hoover Institution Archives)