As the race for the White House reaches its homestretch, President Trump continues to lead opponent Joe Biden in small donor fundraising, while Biden leads among big donors.
Trump raised $252 million among small donors compared to Biden’s $203.7 million, according to the latest data from the Center For Responsive Politics.
Contributions from small donors — those giving $200 or less — are a telling, but imperfect, metric in presidential campaigns, serving as a rough proxy for enthusiasm among the base. The correlation applies in this case, as Trump’s lead in small donations aligns with polling showing Trump voters are more enthusiastic about their candidate than Biden voters are about theirs.
Americans who donate to campaigns are more likely to vote, according to the Pew Research Center. “Among those who say they vote always or nearly always, 21% said that they made a donation, compared with 4% of those who seldom voted or voted only part of the time,” the Pew survey found.