At a Glance Many small donors give in patterns indistinguishable from those of other classes of donors. Wealthy donors have a much greater impact on U.S. political dysfunction than do small donors. Small donors gave more than $4 billion in the 2020 federal elections, up from $1 billion in 2016. Many small donors give in patterns indistinguishable from those of other classes of donors. Most important, whatever the role of small donors in fueling dysfunctional politics, well-designed matching programs do not make it worse.

Source: New York Times May 08, 2024 13:05 UTC