In an effort to make up ground in a fundraising demo once controlled exclusively by Democrats, Republicans on the national stage are placing more of an emphasis on individual, small-dollar donors—and two of the best on the Hill are from Louisiana.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s digital fundraising program has surpassed $100 million in online grassroots contributions since its inception in 2017, according to his office. Almost 489,000 unique grassroots donors have participated, making an average donation of $29.49.
“The ability for Republicans to compete on the small-dollar playing field was unimaginable seven years ago,” says Tyler Daniel, executive director for Team Scalise.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s small-dollar op was ramped up in early 2021 and is a huge focus of his current campaign apparatus. Since then, he’s raised over $35 million from nearly 300,000 unique donors—$19.7 million from digital fundraising and $15.5 million from direct mail fundraising.
These small-dollar fundraising sources accounted for nearly 70% of Kennedy’s fundraising haul for his 2022 reelection, where he raised over $40 million in total.
“We invested heavily and continue to invest in building and maintaining this program,” says Michael Wong, a political consultant for Kennedy.
Research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates the number of small donors, who do not give more than $200 to any committee during a two-year electoral cycle, grew from about 50,000 in the 2006 electoral cycle to nearly 12 million in the 2020 cycle.
Small donors are more likely to be women and/or minorities than large donors, researchers say.
They also identified three other key differences:
- Small donors contribute more than large donors to noncompetitive races.
- They contribute more to out-of-district races.
- They tend to concentrate their contributions on fewer candidates.
As for what makes a small-dolor fundraiser successful, Kennedy and Scalise are certainly well known for their skill at retail politics.
Consultant Lynell Ruckert, former chief of staff for Scalise, says her former boss’ joie de vivre helps endear him to everyone from colleagues to restaurant servers and the Capitol Police.
“Scalise’s positive attitude and eternal optimism are a choice,” she wrote in a recent guest column for LaPolitics.
Then there’s Kennedy, with his trademark aphorisms. Wong says the senator’s communication style helps him connect with regular folks.
“If you’re sitting at a diner,” Wong says, “he sounds like your buddy across the table from you.”
They said it: “Now, my mamma has always taught me to be grateful, and I hate to be asking for favors. It just doesn’t sit right with me, but there’s too much at stake.” —U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, in a recent fundraising email appeal to supporters.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
