Political campaign contributions

[firecat]

Politically engaged readers in the US who contribute financially: How do you decide which election campaigns to give money to? I’m getting about a dozen requests a day and I’m so sick of them I’m disinclined to support any, but that doesn’t feel wise. I believe in supporting my representatives but it also seems like a good idea to support key races elsewhere but I don’t know how to decide which ones. I’d rather pick a few to focus on than give small amounts to all of them.

Comments

[julian]

These guys are probably a little too connected to The Establishment, but they do give good info on which races are Most Likely To Be Competitive, etc:

https://swingleft.org/

[firecat]

Thanks! I got other recs for them too

[ursula]

I look for competitive races that are close to me geographically. This year it's a bit harder because I have been disappointed that a candidate I had planned to support has not been speaking out on an issue important to me, so I have been waiting and watching. I might give more in a very local race.

[adrian_turtle]

That is my standard as well. I am frustrated with how well it didn't work in 2020, when I supported Sara Gideon of Maine. (Most people have never heard of her. She was running against Senator Susan Collins.) Southern Maine is only 90 minutes from here, when traffic cooperates, and Boston groups have carpooled up there to help with canvassing as well as contributing money and phone banking.

I was frustrated, but not so much because Gideon lost. I supported Hilary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore; they lost, but I didn't feel like the time or money I spent on them was wasted. The Sara Gideon campaign collected a LOT of money, far more than they spent on actual campaigning. They turned away offers to canvass, saying they wanted to save that kind of effort for a better strategic time and only use specially trained Mainers. From my perspective, it seemed like their phone and text banking was more "please give us money," "please come canvass for us," and collecting information for better canvassing. Not so much "please remember to vote for Sara, she's great!"

The money surplus was probably just mismanagement? And a couple of years afterwards the campaign ended up donating the extra millions of dollars to good causes. It's not like I have a problem with supporting legal aid in Maine...I might perfectly well have supported similar services locally or at the southwest border. I just feel cheated because they didn't even try to use my mites of help against Collins.

At any rate, I feel like I should look at whether a campaign is being managed competently. As well as whether I like the candidate, and whether they are running against someone who can plausibly be beaten. The distinction may be irrational of me, but politics sometimes is.

[firecat]

Doesn’t sound irrational to me.

Do you know of ways to determine whethet a campaign is being run competently, without contacting it directly?

[firecat]

Thanks!

[minoanmiss]

Every so often I feel up to researching some of the people begging for money, and I pick one or two to give $5 to. I have been told by people in development that the total of people who gave is as important as the amount raised, so no matter how small the donation it helps.

[firecat]

Thanks!

[senmut]

Local elections, where the lesser devil of the two running needs the boost.

State elections, Dems all the way because I am in a gerrymandered state and they need the support.

Federal? I don't even try. I would do Dems there too, but I feel like there's so much money in national levels that my 5 bucks ain't helping anyone.

[firecat]

Thanks, makes sense!

[snippy]

I'm kind of haphazard. I donated to Katie Porter's campaign, but she didn't win her primary, and is sending emails asking me to donate to the Democratic candidate who won, so I've done that.

[firecat]

Thanks!

[adrian_turtle]

I also look for competitive races that in New England (if not Massachusetts), or in Michigan. It's not like I don't care about California or Alabama, but I've never lived there and don't know the places. And I can't phone bank there--my accent is all wrong. I am frustrated with how well it didn't work in 2020, when I supported Sara Gideon of Maine. (Most people have never heard of her. She was running against Senator Susan Collins.) Southern Maine is only 90 minutes from here, when traffic cooperates, and Boston groups have carpooled up there to help with canvassing as well as contributing money and phone banking.

I was frustrated, but not so much because Gideon lost. I supported Hilary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore; they lost, but I didn't feel like the time or money I spent on them was wasted. The Sara Gideon campaign collected a LOT of money, far more than they spent on actual campaigning. They turned away offers to canvass, saying they wanted to save that kind of effort for a better strategic time and only use specially trained Mainers. From my perspective, it seemed like their phone and text banking was more "please give us money," "please come canvass for us," and collecting information for better canvassing. Not so much "please remember to vote for Sara, she's great!"

The money surplus was probably just mismanagement? And a couple of years afterwards the campaign ended up donating the extra millions of dollars to good causes. It's not like I have a problem with supporting legal aid in Maine...I might perfectly well have supported similar services locally or at the southwest border. I just feel cheated because they didn't even try to use my mites of help against Collins.

At any rate, I feel like I should look at whether a campaign is being managed competently. As well as whether I like the candidate, and whether they are running against someone who can plausibly be beaten. The distinction may be irrational of me, but politics sometimes is.

[firecat]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

[heartonsnow]

So I am in UK but I have mever heard of this before!!!

[firecat]

It’s fascinating how different countries do politics differently!

[heartonsnow]

It really is. Although political issues themselves seem to be similar all over the world!

[tagryn]

Who would you be comfortable receiving money requests from for the next year+, and to have your info shared with their affiliates? Found out the hard way that's what happens even for a modest donation. It's a little easier now that one can unsub from email lists, but a good amount of political fundraising is still done via snail mail.

[firecat]

Frankly, no one. I use an anonymous giving account for charities. But I can't use them for political donations.