Democrats raise $1.5 billion in third quarter through ActBlue

Democrats and activist groups raked in an eye-popping $1.5 billion through the digital fundraising platform ActBlue from July to September, a record-breaking total that came from millions of grass-roots donors. 

The party’s chosen fundraising platform raised the money from 6.8 million donors who made 31.4 million contributions, with the average donation totaling $47. The haul from the third quarter of the year is roughly equivalent to the total amount of money raised in the entire 2018 cycle and is the platform’s most lucrative quarter since its founding in 2004.

Of the $1.5 billion, $758 million was raised in September alone, with $70.6 million filling Democrats’ and groups’ coffers following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Small-dollar donors are showing an unparalleled commitment to change,” said Erin Hill, executive director of ActBlue. “In the final weeks of the 2020 election, they are showing up and investing in races across the board. This people-powered movement will expand the map for Democrats for years to come and sets a powerful precedent for civic engagement. Small-dollar donors are leading the way to victory.”

The hefty haul is just the latest indicator of how small dollar donors have helped fuel Democratic candidates to substantial fundraising advantages over their GOP opponents.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden likely played a key role in the fundraising effort, raking in $383 million in total in September.

Once a cash-strapped campaign that faced a yawning fundraising gap compared to President Trump’s camp, Biden is now the one with the money edge in the final sprint to Election Day. 

A number of Democratic challengers to seasoned Republican senators have also flexed their fundraising muscles, with South Carolina’s Jaime Harrison raking in $57 million in the third quarter, shattering a record for the highest quarterly haul for a Senate candidate.

And in a sign of continued growth for ActBlue, 70 percent of contributors this cycle have been first-time donors. 

The GOP’s own digital fundraising platform, WinRed, founded in 2019, processed $620 million in the third quarter of the year.