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The Democratic National Committee recently announced it would soon begin its “Congressional Split Series,” in which it will send out emails asking donors to split a gift between the DNC and a featured candidate. This is a pretty routine practice in political fundraising and one that we will probably see more of as the midterms approach, so it’s a good idea to explain why donors should be wary of these kinds of emails.
Ideally, split fundraising is a win for everyone. When organizations of high-profile politicians spotlight a lesser-known figure in their email blasts, donors get a new name to target with their giving, the less-famous candidates get a fundraising boost, and the big name is supporting a candidate who is allied with their vision.
One example: New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent an email to supporters on February 1 asking them to split a $3 donation between her and Greg Casar, who is running in the contested primary for the open congressional seat in Texas’ 35th District. It’s safe to say most of Ocasio-Cortez’s email list isn’t following that primary or aware of Casar, so some will give him money who ordinarily wouldn’t have; if Casar wins, Ocasio-Cortez will have another progressive ally in Congress.
But split fundraising can also be misused.
When split fundraising goes wrong
Amy McGrath’s 2020 campaign against Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has become infamous for how much money it raised and spent in what was always regarded by insiders as a hopeless cause. Around 60 percent of the $94 million McGrath raised came from donations under $200, a sign that it was rank-and-file Democrats, contemptuous of McConnell and eager to kick him out of the Senate, who were backing her campaign. She received very little monetary support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which didn’t make any independent expenditures in her race, or the Senate Majority PAC, which chipped in just $5,500.
But the DSCC did feature McGrath in split fundraising emails in 2020, many times. As late as September, the DSCC was putting her name as the email sender and declaring that she was “tied in my race to defeat Mitch McConnell,” when in fact she was trailing badly in the polls. And at that point in the race, she had already amassed a sizable fundraising advantage over McConnell and hardly needed the money.
The DSCC was no doubt aware these appeals were disingenuous. But McGrath was a reliable name to use in split fundraising emails—Democratic donors really, really wanted to send her money. There’s an incentive for an organization doing split fundraising to feature not an unknown who needs money, but a popular candidate who will bring in money for the organization. In 2020, you had a worst-case scenario as far as split fundraising goes: The DSCC was hawking a candidate in a longshot race who didn’t need money in order to swell its own coffers, with emails that sometimes deceived recipients.
Do your research
To avoid being taken in by the sorts of claims that the DSCC was circulating about McGrath, you should pause before hitting donate on a split fundraising email, just as you always should when getting fundraising solicitations. Look at the candidate’s recent numbers on OpenSecrets and for any recent polling numbers. Is this even a close race? And do they need the money, or is this organization just trying to trade on their name recognition?
And even if the candidate the email sender is touting seems like a worthwhile investment, the sender themselves might not need the money. Consider the case above of Ocasio-Cortez promoting Casar. If you’re a progressive who wants more left-wing candidates to win spots in Congress, donating to Casar might not be the worst idea in the world. But Ocasio-Cortez herself is one of Congress’s top fundraisers and had $6.7 million in cash on hand as of the last FEC report. Additionally, she’s in a safe Democratic seat and so is not likely to be challenged seriously by a Republican. There are lots of better targets for giving.
If you donate to any progressive organizations or Democratic politicians, you’re going to be bombarded by emails in the months to come, and some of them are going to be confusing, touting a mixture of names you’ve heard before and names you haven’t, along with pleas for money, declarations that THIS is the key race in the country, and so on. Don’t believe what you read, and make sure you know something about every candidate you’re giving to.