At Good Authority, the political scientist John Sides has a good summary of the findings in this important new study that’s received a lot of attention. The study, by Stanford’s Chenoa Yorgason, has the title above. Here is from Sides’ summary:
There is indeed evidence that small donors are not moderates. They tend to give more to ideologically extreme candidates. But maybe small donors are simply supporting candidates whose views they already share. The question is whether small donors are truly changing how politicians behave.
According to new research by Stanford’s Chenoa Yorgason, the answer is yes. Yorgason focuses on the adoption of ActBlue, the most prominent online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and liberal groups.
ActBlue simplifies giving. You don’t have to repeatedly enter your personal information or credit card details. You can even schedule recurring contributions. In essence, you can donate with a single click. ActBlue takes a percentage of each contribution, but there’s no upfront fee or contract for candidates. Yorgason shows that from 2006 to 2020 more and more Democratic candidates adopted ActBlue. By 2020, the vast majority of Democratic candidates for U.S. House and Senate were using it.
There is indeed evidence that small donors are not moderates. They tend to give more to ideologically extreme candidates. But maybe small donors are simply supporting candidates whose views they already share. The question is whether small donors are truly changing how politicians behave.
According to new research by Stanford’s Chenoa Yorgason, the answer is yes. Yorgason focuses on the adoption of ActBlue, the most prominent online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and liberal groups.
ActBlue simplifies giving. You don’t have to repeatedly enter your personal information or credit card details. You can even schedule recurring contributions. In essence, you can donate with a single click. ActBlue takes a percentage of each contribution, but there’s no upfront fee or contract for candidates. Yorgason shows that from 2006 to 2020 more and more Democratic candidates adopted ActBlue. By 2020, the vast majority of Democratic candidates for U.S. House and Senate were using it.