August 20, 2020/Media, Press

ICYMI: NC House Democrats Smash Digital Fundraising Expectations

North Carolina House Democrats have dramatically surpassed fundraising expectations this year as they far out-raise their Republican opponents, according to a new report from McClatchy. The digital fundraising platform ActBlue has seen a massive increase in donations to down ballot races, particularly in North Carolina.

In 2020, The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus has already raised over $1 million directly into the caucus and reported over $1.1 million on hand at the end of the second quarter, setting another historic record for House Democratic Caucus fundraising.

“We are all surviving a global pandemic, which has moved our campaigns to functioning online and utilizing crucial digital tools this cycle. That, matched with an electorate that is fed up with how House Republicans are mismanaging our communities and coronavirus, means we have seen an incredible uptic in online contributions from Murphy to Manteo,” said Dana Walton, Executive Director of the NC House Democratic Caucus. “Our momentum is undeniable, supporters across the state and political spectrum are coming together and, despite what is thrown at us, we are confident the voters will be with us in November.”

The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus is working to flip six Republicans held seats to retake the chamber majority this November. 

McClatchy: Democrats’ down-ballot ‘green wave’: State legislative candidates raise record sums online

  • [Aimy] Steele brought in more than $150,000 through the online fundraising platform ActBlue since January alone, part of a fundraising haul of about $300,000 total.
  • That’s a greater than 20% increase from the $63 million in ActBlue donations to the party’s state legislative candidates in the entire 2018 election cycle — and more than three times state House and Senate candidates raised during the 2016 election.
  • “There tends to be this conventional wisdom out there that small-dollar Democratic donors are only paying attention to top-of-ballot and headline races,” said Erin Hill, ActBlue’s executive director. “What this is showing is that grassroots donors are here to support change up and down the ballot. They’re giving to things that matter to them across the board.”
  • The total amount of contributions to Democratic state legislative candidates is still a small share of the overall fundraising processed by ActBlue, which since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s tenure in office has become an online money-raising behemoth. Already this election cycle, ActBlue has helped Democratic candidates and liberal organizations raise more than $2.5 billion, only about 3% of which went to state House and Senate hopefuls.
  • But Democratic state legislative candidates have nonetheless seen an exponential rise in online contributions in less than a decade. 
  • Already this cycle, about 410,000 donors gave money to state legislative candidates, according to ActBlue, more than the 360,000 donors who contributed during the whole 2018 election cycle.
  • Republicans at all levels of government have attempted to catch up to the Democrats’ online donation machine. 

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