Since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, online donations through ActBlue have skyrocketed, giving many Democrats a huge financial boost over their Republican countrparts in the last weeks of the campaign.
Source: Alternet
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) admitted many Republican electoral candidates, including lawmakers facing re-election, are financially overwhelmed as the fight uphill campaign battles due to all that has transpired over the last week surrounding President Donald Trump.
As Trump continues with his damaging rhetoric and reckless behavior, he is not only endangering his own chances of re-election but also the re-elections of his Senate Republican colleagues which jeopardizes them maintaining control of the Senate floor. Many Republican candidates are now faced with financial concerns as they try to push back and stabilize their campaigns.
According to a report published by The New York Times, details about McConnell's recent conversation during a conference call shed light on his concerns about Senate candidates. According to McConnell, Republicans, many of whom are being outraised by their Democratic opponents, are "financially overwhelmed."
"On Thursday, in a conference call with a group of lobbyists, Mr. McConnell vented that the party's Senate candidates are being financially overwhelmed because of small-dollar contributions to ActBlue, the online liberal fund-raising hub."
And about the death of RBG being the catalyst, here were some of the numbers:
Democratic donors gave more money online in the 9 p.m. hour Friday after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death was announced — $6.2 million — than in any other single hour since ActBlue, the donation-processing site, was started 16 years ago.
Then donors broke the site’s record again in the 10 p.m. hour when donors gave another $6.3 million — more than $100,000 per minute.
The unprecedented outpouring shows the power of a looming Supreme Court confirmation fight to motivate Democratic donors. The previous biggest hour, on Aug. 20, when Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke on the final night of the Democratic convention, saw $4.3 million in donations processed, according to an ActBlue spokesperson.
Before noon on Saturday, donations to Democratic causes and campaigns on ActBlue since Justice Ginsburg’s passing had topped $45 million.
