An Axios article is delivered to present the contrast between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis around small donor contributions to highlight the scale of grassroot support for Trump over DeSantis. However, there’s a buried lead in there.
According to the article, “82% of the total raised from individual contributions by Trump’s campaign since the start of the year came from small-dollar donors — amounting to more than $44 million, according to FEC data.” A few paragraphs later, “Biden’s re-election campaign raised roughly $10 million during the second quarter from donors giving less than $200.” Put another way, President Trump has four times as many small donors than Biden.
CTH has previously pointed out the strength of support within the MAGA working and middle-class for President Trump. Indeed, it was when former RNC Chairman Reince Priebus first saw the scale of the Donald Trump campaign data in June 2016, when all professional party opposition to his campaign disappeared. It wasn’t just the amount of money that stunned Chairman Priebus, it was the number of donors. The largest number of donors to a republican political campaign ever recorded.
The data shows what most people now have started to accept. The voting base supports Donald Trump (82% small donors, 18% big donors). The Wall Street and multinational corporations support Ron DeSantis (17% small donors, 83% big donors).
Trump’s Main Street supporters are the inverse of DeSantis Wall Street supporters. There’s the distinction.
(Via Axios) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is lagging far behind former President Trump on a crucial metric for the longevity of a presidential campaign: small-dollar donations.
Why it matters: Donations of $200 or less are one of the clearest signals of grassroots enthusiasm behind a candidate. These donors are able to give more than once, while wealthy donors often max out on their contributions early in the campaign.
While the full picture of Trump’s campaign finances isn’t clear, his filings so far signal strong grassroots support. The broader political world is grappling with a decline in the small donor dollars that drove recent cycles, Politico reports.
By the numbers: 82% of the total raised from individual contributions by Trump’s campaign since the start of the year came from small-dollar donors — amounting to more than $44 million, according to FEC data.
DeSantis has brought in just 17% from small-dollar donors — while 71% has come from people donating $2,000 or more. (read more)
