Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is basing his campaign on opposing money in politics, and rejecting support from corporations and super PACs. Unsurprisingly, he is losing the money race to Hillary Clinton.
Yet so far, he is winning the donor race. His campaign announced it has received 2 million donations, more than any candidate in either party so far. And his political consultants want that success to send a message about the nature of his campaign.
"Over two million contributions have been made to the only campaign that rejects a corrupt campaign finance system. You can't level the playing field with Wall Street banks and billionaires by taking their money."
While Sanders is clearly doing exceptionally well among small donors, his emphasis on "contributions" is a bit of spin. The number of "contributions" is not the same as the name of individual contributors, since small donors can donate multiple times without reaching the maximum amount allowed by law.
The Washington Post reported, "The campaign did not release the number of unique donors to Sanders ... but aides said that figure is approaching 1 million."
In 1992, Jerry Brown refused to accept donations greater than $100 and (in the days before the internet) relentlessly plugged a 1-800 phone number to accept contributions.
Yet so far, he is winning the donor race. His campaign announced it has received 2 million donations, more than any candidate in either party so far. And his political consultants want that success to send a message about the nature of his campaign.
Bernie Sanders Shows Off His Grassroots Army
The 15 second political ad "People Power" features narration by Sanders over a frenetic collage of his many supporters. Sanders makes his point succinctly:"Over two million contributions have been made to the only campaign that rejects a corrupt campaign finance system. You can't level the playing field with Wall Street banks and billionaires by taking their money."
While Sanders is clearly doing exceptionally well among small donors, his emphasis on "contributions" is a bit of spin. The number of "contributions" is not the same as the name of individual contributors, since small donors can donate multiple times without reaching the maximum amount allowed by law.
The Washington Post reported, "The campaign did not release the number of unique donors to Sanders ... but aides said that figure is approaching 1 million."
Bernie Sanders Following The Path Of Howard Dean and Jerry Brown
Sanders is not the first campaign to put so much emphasis on how he raises money. In the 2004 primary, Howard Dean pioneered the practice of online fundraising, arguing that he would be better able to resist special interest influence because of his reliance on small donors.In 1992, Jerry Brown refused to accept donations greater than $100 and (in the days before the internet) relentlessly plugged a 1-800 phone number to accept contributions.