Opinion: Christian Ziegler helped a GOP governor get elected. Wonder what he thinks now?

Jeff Landry is the new hardline conservative governor of Louisiana. Any guesses as to who received nearly $1 million to help him win? Why, that would be Christian Ziegler. Yeah, that guy. The subject of a rape investigation in Sarasota.

Landry's campaign paid Microtargeted Media – Ziegler's Sarasota-based company that delivers social media ads to select voters – a whopping $954,298.57, the majority of which Ziegler received on two dates, according to campaign finance expenditure records from the Louisiana Ethics Commission.

Also lending his substantial political expertise to Landry's victorious campaign was Corey Lewandowski, who was formerly Donald Trump's campaign manager. Lewandowski was paid $180,000 to serve as “senior adviser" for Landry. Interestingly enough, he and Ziegler are close associates who have more in common than the work they did for the governor.

Both have been accused of sexual crimes.

Ziegler, the chairman of the Florida GOP, is being investigated by the Sarasota Police Department for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on Oct. 2. Ziegler, his wife Bridget, and the woman had been involved in a three-way sexual relationship in the past, but Bridget Ziegler was not present at the time of the alleged assault.

Since Ziegler's alleged assault was not made public until Dec. 1, it did not affect Landry’s race on Oct. 14. But the fact Lewandowski was on Landry's campaign rankled some people. Included was a big GOP donor named John Odom, who gave $100,000 to Landry … and then wanted it back.

That's because in 2021, at a dinner in Las Vegas, Odom's then-wife alleged Lewandowski made unwanted sexual advances toward her. Lewandowski was charged with misdemeanor battery and avoided admitting guilt by taking a plea deal.

Landry, the former attorney general of Louisiana, ran for governor using the same beliefs as Christian Ziegler and his wife Bridget, who is a member of the Sarasota County School Board and was a founder of a controversial group called Moms for Liberty.

Landry – who was endorsed by Trump – has pledged to stop the "woke" agenda in schools and backs parent's rights. In 2022, when Landry was AG, he set up a tip line for parents to report librarians who were enabling the "taxpayer-subsidized sexualization of children" by putting "obscene" books on shelves.

Landry supports the ban of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths and an abortion ban that makes no exceptions for rape or incest. He is also anti-LGBTQ, and if any of this sounds familiar, well it should.

That's because the Zieglers have been pushing this agenda for years, which is fine, but the ideology they espouse becomes much more diluted by the fact Christian Ziegler is making a mint off what he is trying to cram down everyone's throat.

Ziegler's company sends out political text messages, emails, and social media ads on behalf of conservative candidates who target a certain audience. Now, I'm not saying his company is a rip-off, but the concept is hardly original.

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Microtargeted Media is much like now-bankrupt Cambridge Analytica, which obtained data from millions of unsuspecting Facebook users, studied their cultural beliefs, and then bombarded them with very specific ads. Some believe Cambridge Analytica was a major reason for the election of Trump in 2016.

The mastermind behind Cambridge Analytica was Steve Bannon, who was a close associate of Sarasota County resident Andrew Badolato.

Several years ago, Badolato formed an internet company to collect data from businesses, and he had a $400,000 contract with Cambridge Analytica that Bannon helped him secure. Ziegler worked with Badolato to get the company off the ground, so he was very familiar with the Cambridge Analytica model.

As an aside: Badolato is currently in prison for his role in a border wall fundraising scheme with Bannon, who was pardoned by Trump.

Ziegler, who has refused to step down from his GOP position even though has the confidence of no one, is likely to be voted out of his spot next week. There is no way he can raise money for the party now. His business is likely to be impacted too.

On Sept. 14, records show Ziegler received 10 payments totaling $505,280 from Landry's campaign. Most of the money went for 30-second ads on Facebook and Instagram. The commercials about education and crime were dull and unremarkable and ranged in price from $46,700 to $62,880. All told, Ziegler was paid $549,180 in September.

The other big month was August. That's when Ziegler received 11 payments on Aug. 10 totaling $233,834. Included was $212,366 for five ads and $16,500 for "consulting."

One of the more interesting expenditures was $5,000 for a "Breitbart article." It is unclear which article that refers to, or what Ziegler's involvement was as it pertains to a story that appeared on the conservative website.

After Landry was elected on Oct. 14, there was a story on Breitbart titled: "Exclusive: Inside Jeff Landry's Victory – How Early Voting, Effective Voter Targeting and a 'Terrific Candidate' Landed GOP Win." Ziegler and Lewandowski were quoted extensively.

"Jeff Landry is a phenomenal leader for the Republican Party. He was one of the best, if not the best, attorneys general in the country," Ziegler told Breitbart. "The guy has high energy, a staunch conservative, very involved, and a big supporter of President Trump, and they have a very good relationship. Obviously, President Trump endorsed Jeff Landry, so you couldn't find a better candidate to run for governor in Louisiana."

No, you really couldn't.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: How a Florida GOP chair accused of rape made a mint in Louisiana