Democrats' down-ballot 'green wave': State legislative candidates raise record sums online
Aimy Steele says she’s still in shock. The Democratic candidate was always determined to raise more money this election than she did in 2018, when her unsuccessful campaign collected less than $100,000 running for a state House seat outside of Charlotte, N.C.
But in 2020, the former school principal began experiencing a greater financial windfall from online donors than she had ever imagined possible. Steele brought in more than $150,000 through the online fundraising platform ActBlue since January alone, part of a fundraising haul of about $300,000 total.
“It was beyond surprising and absolutely shocking,” Steele said in an interview. “Like, I literally still pinch myself when I look at these numbers.”
Most Democrats associate prodigious online fundraising totals with their presidential and congressional candidates, many of whom boast national profiles. But the party’s massive surge of digital contributions has also reached lesser-known state legislative candidates like Steele, according to data provided by ActBlue, boosting the Democrats’ chances in races in key states where the party is hoping to win control of GOP-held legislatures — and potentially control the redistricting process at the federal and state level set to occur next year.
Officials with the digital fundraising service say that even with less than three months before Election Day, ActBlue contributions to Democratic state legislative candidates have already set a record, totaling more than $76 million.
https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/election/article245094950.html#storylink=cpy
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