Democrats, progressive groups raise more than $700 million in three months through ActBlue

Democratic donors contributed more than $700 million to candidates and progressive groups on the left-leaning ActBlue platform in 2020’s second quarter, the company said Monday.

In a blog post, ActBlue officials pointed to the $710 million figure raised in the second quarter of 2020 as the highest single-quarter total in terms of fundraising in the platform’s history.

The company also registered its highest number of first-time donors and unique donors this quarter.

Just over 5.7 million contributions were made on the platform in the second quarter of 2020, a sharp increase from the 1.4 million recorded in the previous quarter. In a statement, ActBlue pointed to bail funds and other fundraisers on the ActBlue platform begun in response to the nationwide protests over the deaths of Black Americans in police custody, including George Floyd, as a reason for the spike.

“Black activists and Black-led organizations made history in Q2 2020, leading the way as people around the world organized and protested against police violence and anti-Black racism,” ActBlue wrote in the blog post.

“Digital fundraising was one part of that organizing: Hundreds of thousands of people donated to nonprofits raising funds to help protestors with bail, legal services, and support, as well as Black-led groups that are organizing for voting rights, the protection of Black trans people, and Black political power,” it continued.

ActBlue’s executive director Erin Hill told CNN in a statement that small-dollar donors were more engaged with the political process than ever before.

“Small-dollar donors are driving change,” said Hill. “They are engaged at historic levels and pushing for the values they care about in their communities and at all levels of government.”

A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) pointed to the numbers as a sign of growing enthusiasm against President Trump ahead of the November election.

“These numbers are just a glimpse into the grassroots energy and excitement for [former Vice President] Joe Biden and Democrats up and down the ticket. It’s clear people are not only fed up with Donald Trump’s broken promises and failed pandemic response, but that they are ready for Joe Biden’s leadership in the White House,” said Chris Meagher, the DNC’s deputy communications director.

“The DNC just had its best online fundraising quarter in the history of our organization, and we have used that fundraising to build the infrastructure we will need to beat Donald Trump, flip the Senate, and protect our House majority in November,” Meagher added.

Updated