[ad_1]
As Democratic presidential candidates report their first-quarter fundraisers this week, party donors are focused on a campaign: Donald Trump's campaign.
The president, who announced his re-election on the day of his inauguration, set a record for an incumbent at this point in the cycle by reporting a cash flow of $ 40 million, after raising $ 30 million over the last three years. first months of the year. And the Republican National Committee, which joined the campaign for an unprecedented merger, raised $ 45 million.
But these figures are not what prevents some opponents from sleeping at night. Rather, Trump is already running a general election campaign – targeting online voters, adapting his messages and constituting a competitive base army – as Democrats embark on a long-running primary battle that could bring together more than 20 candidates.
In addition, donors and Democratic strategists worry that party candidates marginalize large donors and major donors this cycle in favor of a grassroots approach – a trade that could be winning over the political plan but which could be a fundamental obstacle in the long term.
"We are not where we want to be at the moment … we need to organize fundraisers," said Democratic strategist Ben LaBolt, spokesman for President Obama's campaign. "The fact is that for Donald Trump, the campaign is going on today … we can not let him have an open playground."
The Democrats collected about $ 73 million combined this cycle, not counting prior congressional campaign transfers or personal contributions. (With these transfers, Democrats are reporting about $ 120 million.) In the first quarter of 2007, the last time the Democratic field was so open, the candidates reported more than $ 80 million.
This cycle, however, most candidates avoid funding from external entities such as corporate political action committees, and some are raising funds down.
"The climate is different, probably the first presidential election in which major donors do not play a major role in political fundraising," said Jonathan Mantz, chairman of the finance ministry. Hillary Clinton in 2008.
The decision undermines the Democrats' messages against the influence of money on politics, and they have gathered more small donors than their predecessors. But some Democrats are concerned that this strategy is not sustainable.
"I think unilateral disarmament is a mistake … I think we will have to put in place a major fundraising program from donors to defeat Donald Trump by 2020," said M Mantz.
"This purity test is going on, everyone is half too cute, you have to fund your campaign, and at the end of the day you have to collect that damn money," said Steve Spinner, president of the finance ministry. ; Obama. Campaign 2012. "You can not be holier than that and end up collecting a third of what you should have raised and have the impression of having the resources to win."
With so many Democrats in the running, few donors have chosen their favorite or donate exclusively to a candidate. Others are waiting for the ground to be drained before devoting resources and believe that the first debate will help eliminate the candidates. Those who make small donations, and not the maximum principal contribution of $ 2,700, can repeatedly give throughout the cycle, providing a reservoir for candidates. But these donors are also unpredictable.
"The problem is that small online donations are purely event-related. You need to create a forcing feature, such as a pitch, a debate, a town hall, a primary, to get people to connect and contribute, Spinner said. "What people do not seem to understand, is that the year before the vote, there is only very little" events "likely to overload an event online … However, the money must be known, predictable and consistent for a candidate to organize their campaign.Organize traditional fundraisers does so and generally subscribes to the financial goals of the current year. "
Not all candidates are fleeing fundraising and larger donations. Candidates such as Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand raised funds through fundraising while striving to create a database at the grassroots level.
"You need all the above, you have to show that you are enthusiastic at the grassroots so that you can count on the necessary number of volunteers and participations, and you must also ask the donors to show that they are contributing." said Robert Wolf, a consolidator. for Mr. Obama.
"It's very different from all the primaries we've gone through: you're going to have 20 candidates, you do not have a real favorite, and most donors know very well at least a third of the candidates, and the core community will entertain the different candidates because the platforms are very similar, "Wolf said. "People give to several candidates and they want to see a lot of people on the stage of debate."
Democrats say that they are not surprised that the outgoing president is raising the main opposition candidates. But Trump's latest filing showed that he was mastering the fundraising strategy "all the above".
This quarter, Trump's campaign revealed that nearly 99 per cent of donations totaled less than $ 200, a sign of his grassroots efforts that will compete with the Democratic campaigns. "It's pretty striking, and the Republican Party has not always been considered the party of small donors.Anything has changed with President Trump," said RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, to CBSN Red and Blue journalists.
Democrats remain convinced that the proposed candidate will be well funded. And they argue that a large number of people do not always represent support. In 2016, Jeb Bush raised more than $ 100 million and retired from the race after the South Carolina primary.
"What is most convincing and encouraging is the record number of small donors who have a prominent place at the negotiating table and who lead the story … They invest early, they put signs on the lawn and knock on doors for their candidates, "says Robert Zimmerman, a New York-based Democratic fundraiser and member of the Democratic National Committee.
"The determination is not made by the leadership of the donors.In the end, it is the voters who decide."
[ad_2]
Source link