DEM FUNDRAISING EXPLODES IN MAY- RESPONDING TO SCOTUS ABORTION RIGHTS CASE AND GUN VIOLENCE
CONCERNS OF FURTHER LOSS OF RIGHTS, FEARS OF LOSS OF DEMOCRACY, AND LABOR OPTIMISUM, ALSO CONTRIBUTED.
Note: 4TH in a series on Rising Democratic Optimism EXPLODES IN MAY- RESPONDING TO SCOTUS PRELIM.
Short story- Dems have hit record levels of giving through ActBlue in May ’22!! In addition, the cycle-to-cycle contributions thru May 2022 exceed the 2020 general election giving!!!!
As I have noted in earlier diaries, most pundits and most Dem voters are underestimating Dem enthusiasm and commitment to voting in 2022. Though results in primaries this year are very mixed, many individual campaigns are showing very high levels of energy. I’m not intending to look at any individual campaigns in this post, but rather focusing on donations to ActBlue- which is the most widely used app for campaign fundraising.
The biggest news for Dem fundraising this month (May ’22) is that May eclipsed May 2018 by a gigantic margin (see chart below) in contribution numbers, total dollars raised, and unique donor numbers. Since 2018 was a midterm election year, the comparison is important. In addition, dollars raised in May ’22 even topped May ’20- a general election year!!!
The numbers give a sharp illustration of the small donors sustained support of Dem candidates, progressive organizations, and nonprofits in their communities across the country.
Most important, of course, is why donor activity rose meteorically in May. First is the preliminary decision of the Supreme Court to gut Roe V Wade. The early release of a preliminary decision- now verified by the disastrous Dobbs ruling- created a firestorm of public anger & dissent. Reproductive rights groups like Planned Parenthood and NRAL went into emergency mode to protect rep. rights in whatever states were possible holdouts. The supporting groups are also trying to support any House and Senate campaigns that back their core position, as well as state and local campaigns that may also be in play.
Second and perhaps equally important, gun safety groups were propelled into action by an especially deadly and senseless mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, and in a Uvalde, Texas
elementary school. The twin tragedies in close proximity to each other created an upwelling of public disgust and anger so intense that even Congress was finally pressured to act. Though far from perfect-and far less than most critics wanted- the Gun Safety legislation was passed by Congress in June!
Finally, May ’22 reflects very serious ongoing concerns about the survival of democracy, reaction to the Jan 6th insurrection & Hearings, and optimism that the US Labor Movement is seeing some concrete gains in union organizing. Together, it’s impossible for me to determine which issues and groups were most important in the fundraising report from ActBlue. It’s only an educated guess as I followed the news this year.
ACTBLUE FR- Topline May ’18 May ’20 May ‘22
Contributions 1,477,225 5,197,081 4,384,784
Dollars raised $63,464,589 $177,900,276 $187,999,234
Avg, Cont. $42.96 $34.23 $42.88
Unique Donors 715,895 2,252,014 1,793,107
CYCLE-TO CYCLE COMP*____________________________________
2018 cyc. thru May 2020 cyc. Thru May 2022 cyc. Thru May
Contributions 23,928,075 61,854,122 52,062,014
Dollars raised $821,218,347 $1,905,847,082 $1,948,027,378
Avg. Contrib. $34.32 $30.81 $37.42
Unique Donors 3,380,524 8,722,053 5,667,761
*Note: Cycle-to-cycle comparison begins Jan 1st of the previous year. So the May ’22 cycle includes 17 months of small-donor contributions.
Next up, No. 5 in a series: June Fundraising action via ActBlue.