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Fundraising
America’s $10 donor recession: Why grassroots giving hasn’t rebounded
The Hill
“Fundraising data show a clear pattern: Voters have not returned to their pre-inflation donation habits. The sharpest decline is among the smallest donors. Micro donors — those giving under $100 — fell nearly 14 percent in 2023 and another 9 percent in 2024. Total political giving remains high, but that figure is increasingly sustained by larger donors who are less exposed to day-to-day price pressures. Campaigns see this firsthand. Large checks still arrive. The broad base does not.”
The Grassroots Slowdown
John Hall
“The result is a donor pool that is stagnant and, in some cases, shrinking, while the number of campaigns and committees asking for money keeps growing.”
Social Media
Outrage over ICE has spilled into typically apolitical online spaces
Washington Post
“On Instagram, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube, influencers who have built vast and politically neutral audiences with content about cooking, sports and fashion have suddenly opted to speak out in fury about the clashes in Minnesota, bringing many of their fans along for the ride.”
Political Influencers and Democracy in the Digital Age
Democracy Project
”In the absence of a clear regulatory or legislative path forward, much of the power to mold the political influencer industry’s future lies in the hands of social media companies. Ceding a key election integrity issue to opaque, unaccountable companies is considerably less than an ideal democratic solution.”
Technology
How a Democratic heavyweight is using AI in the midterms
Politico
“Because the new research tool is publicly available online, it could similarly be used by Democratic campaigns or other outside groups — though American Bridge hopes the uptake is broader than that, including among influencers and voters.”
White House
A Government Of Influencers, By Influencers, For Influencers
The Bulwark
“The protests and counterprotests last year outside the Portland ICE facility that eventually earned Sortor a trip to the White House serve as the blueprint here, with right-wing influencers putting their bodies on the line in attempts to get explosive video that could double as an excuse for the Trump administration to intervene.”