Huntress77’s rec-listed diary gives reason for cautious optimism when considering the current state of fundraising among presidential candidates and the presumed GOP nominee’s lead:
If you add up the war chests raised by all Democratic candidates combined, they vastly exceed Republican fundraising efforts. According to The New York Times and several other sources, the Top Three alone have raised nearly $30 million.
Why “cautious?” Because, while Dem candidates’ hauls are indeed greater than Himself’s, they are still fragmented between two dozen candidates, some of whom will inevitably throw in the towel as polling and primary results prove their quests futile.
What will those campaigns do with their leftover dough?
This week, I was with a group discussing Indivisible’s candidate pledge. a simple and very constructive set of guidelines which 15 of our primary candidates have already signed:
The Pledge for Presidential Candidates:
We must defeat Donald Trump. The first step is a primary contest that produces a strong Democratic nominee. The second step is winning the general election. We will not accept anything less. To ensure this outcome, as a 2020 Presidential candidate, I pledge to:
- Make the primary constructive. I’ll respect the other candidates and make the primary election about inspiring voters with my vision for the future.
- Rally behind the winner. I’ll support the ultimate Democratic nominee, whomever it is -- period. No Monday morning quarterbacking. No third-party threats. Immediately after there’s a nominee, I’ll endorse.
- Do the work to beat Trump. I will do everything in my power to make the Democratic Nominee the next President of the United States. As soon as there is a nominee, I will put myself at the disposal of the campaign.
After the meeting’s business had been concluded, I brought up a question that’s been itching my brain about the Pledge:
“Do ‘support’ and ‘endorse’ and ‘doing everything in my power’ include, um, the money?”
When campaigns falter, there is usually not a lot of dough left over, and candidates are strictly limited in what they can do with it. No personal use is permitted. Unlimited donations to charity or national political parties are allowed, so long as the receiving charities have not benefited the candidate. Monies can go to individual candidates in small amounts, or PAC’d out in larger amounts.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
One thing candidates can do is give the money to their next campaign. So long as it’s that individual running, money raised for one race can be used on another. If candidate Senator Smith folds his presidential campaign tent with leftover largess, he can tuck the change into his Senate re-election war chest.
While it’s too late to address this issue in the Indivisible pledge, it should be asked of every Democratic presidential candidate: “Will you pledge any leftover campaign funds to the DNC or individual Democratic House or Senate candidates?”
I want to see our fine Democrats well-placed in future races. But 2020 is a matter of survival for our nation and, frankly, our species.
This year’s unsuccessful contenders must demonstrate that they understand this and push all their chips to the center of the table.