Politics

Trump Campaign Taps Small-Dollar Donors To Outraise Biden In Blue-Leaning State

(Photo by Alon Skuy/Getty Images)

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Robert Schmad Contributor
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Former President Donald Trump’s campaign both outraised and had nearly three times as many unique donors as President Joe Biden’s campaign in Minnesota, a state that has historically favored Democrats.

The Trump campaign has raised $553,566 in Minnesota since the beginning of the year, compared to the approximate $391,867 that the Biden campaign brought in, according to records maintained by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Trump’s campaign has had 1,317 unique donors in Minnesota this year, topping Biden’s 466 unique supporters.

Biden’s fundraising efforts in Minnesota have been fueled by a relatively small number of large-dollar donors, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of donation records. Fifty-eight Minnesotans donated $3,300 to Biden’s campaign, the maximum allowed under federal law, totaling $191,400 and making up nearly half of the president’s fundraising in the state.

Only eight Minnesotans, by contrast, donated the maximum to Trump’s campaign, according to FEC records. These large dollar donors constituted just under 5% of Trump’s fundraising in Minnesota. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Announces $45 Million Fundraising Haul For Third Quarter)

The average donor to the Trump campaign gave $44, while the average Biden campaign donor gave $380, according to the review of federal donation records. The median donations for the Trump and Biden campaigns were $22 and $100, respectively.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - OCTOBER 07: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump departs a rally on October 07, 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The rally was the second of two the former president hosted in Iowa today.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – OCTOBER 07: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump departs a rally on October 07, 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

College-educated voters, who tend to be wealthier, have been supporting Democrats in greater numbers in recent election cycles, while less affluent voters without college degrees have been moving toward Republicans, The Washington Post reported.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., considered by many to be running a longshot campaign, has had 119 unique donors in Minnesota this year, according to FEC records, more than a quarter of what the president attracted.

Trump came within 50,000 votes of winning Minnesota in 2016 when Libertarian Gary Johnson, a historically strong third-party candidate, was on the ballot, according to Politico. Trump did worse in Minnesota in 2020, losing the state by more than seven points to Biden.

Trump and Biden don’t exclusively fundraise through their campaign committees. The Biden Victory Fund and the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee are PACs associated with the two presidential frontrunners that draw in large sums through donations, according to Open Secrets.

Biden raised $1,184,287 and Trump raised $954,828 between their campaign committees and associated PACs in Minnesota this year, a review of FEC records found. The difference between Trump and Biden is attributable to a $350,000 donation from a PepsiCo board member to the Biden Victory Fund.

The average Trump donation was $49 and the average Biden donation was $820 when examining the Biden Victory Fund and the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee in addition to the candidates’ campaigns. The median donation for Trump and Biden were $22 and $100, respectively.

Trump still has nearly three times as many unique donors as Biden when including the Biden Victory Fund and the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee in their donation totals.

The Trump and Biden campaigns did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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