
Estimated donors to Democrats in competitive 2020 Senate races
SEPT. 19
387,000 donors
300,000 donors
SEPT. 18
Ginsburg’s death
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Estimated donors to Democrats in competitive Senate races
SEPT. 19
387,000 donors
300,000 donors
SEPT. 18
Ginsburg’s death
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission and ActBlue

Estimated donors to Democrats in competitive 2020 Senate races
SEPT. 19
387,000 donors
300,000 donors
SEPT. 18
Ginsburg’s death
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Estimated donors to Democrats in competitive 2020 Senate races
SEPT. 19
387,000 donors
300,000 donors
SEPT. 18
Ginsburg’s death
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Hundred of thousands of donors rushed to back Democratic Senate campaigns after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, many spreading their donations across several candidates.
Seven times as many people gave to Democratic candidates in competitive races the day after Ginsburg’s death than the day before, according to an analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission. Elevated giving persisted in the following month.
Donations were often small, averaging $17.82 during the rush, compared with $55.08 two days before. The most common donation on the day after Ginsburg’s death was $1.92, suggesting that donors made a single contribution via the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue to split between candidates. Donors may have hoped that spreading the wealth across multiple candidates, rather than focusing on a single race, would help Democrats take control of the Senate, giving them the power to confirm or vote down future Supreme Court justices.
[Biden has surged ahead of Trump in donors – including in the states that matter most]
Just 3 percent of donors gave to six or more candidates the day before Ginsburg’s death. Nearly 40 percent gave to six or more the day after.

More Democratic donors giving to multiple Senate candidates
Percent of donors who gave to:
1 candidate
3 to 5
6 or more
2
100%
For most of 2020, the vast majority of donors gave to just one candidate.
The day after Ginsburg’s death, 65% of donors gave to multiple candidates
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

More Democratic donors giving to multiple Senate candidates
Percent of donors who gave to:
1 candidate
2
3 to 5
6 or more
100%
For most of 2020, the vast majority of donors gave to one candidate.
The day after Ginsburg’s death, 65% of donors gave to multiple candidates
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

More Democratic donors giving to multiple Senate candidates
1 candidate
3 to 5
6 or more
2
Percent of donors who gave to:
100%
For most of 2020, the vast majority of donors gave to just one candidate.
The day after Ginsburg’s death, 65% of donors gave to multiple candidates
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

More Democratic donors giving to multiple Senate candidates
1 candidate
2
3 to 5
6 or more
Percent of donors who gave to:
100%
For most of 2020, the vast majority of donors gave to just one candidate.
The day after Ginsburg’s death, 65% of donors gave to multiple candidates
0
JAN. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

The looming battle over the Supreme Court did not inspire a similar increase in donors on the Republican side. Only 16 percent more donors gave to Republican Senate candidates the day after Ginsburg’s death, compared with an over 600 percent increase among Democrats.
An estimated 217,000 donors contributed to South Carolina’s Jaime Harrison on Sept. 19, the day his opponent, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, announced he would support President Trump’s nominee to replace Ginsburg, reversing previous opposition to an election-year confirmation. Harrison raised a record-breaking $57 million in the third quarter. Democratic candidates in close races had the largest increase in donors, but those in races viewed as long-shot bids or safe bets also saw increases.

Democrats in close races saw greatest increase in donors
Harrison (SC)
Greenfield (IA)
SEPT. 19
200K
0
SEPT. 1
OCT. 14
Gideon (ME)
Cunningham (NC)
200K
0
SEPT. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Democrats in close races saw greatest increase in donors
Greenfield (IA)
Harrison (SC)
SEPT. 19
200K
0
SEPT. 1
OCT. 14
Cunningham (NC)
Gideon (ME)
200K
0
SEPT. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Democrats in close races saw greatest increase in donors
Harrison (SC)
Greenfield (IA)
Gideon (ME)
Cunningham (NC)
SEPT. 19
200K
0
SEPT. 1
OCT. 14
Source: Federal Election Commission

Aug 31
Sep 07
Sep 14
Sep 21
Sep 28
Aug 31
Sep 07
Sep 14
Sep 21
Sep 28
chart_date
Jaime Harrison

[The Senate seats most likely to flip parties in November]
The result of increased Democratic enthusiasm is a 2020 Senate race that set fundraising records with a month remaining until Election Day. Challengers Harrison, Amy McGrath in Kentucky and Mark Kelly in Arizona have already surpassed Beto O’Rourke’s massive 2018 fundraising totals. The late flood of Democratic donations helped Harrison double Graham’s third-quarter total, creating a $28 million gap in total receipts.

Democratic Senate candidates exceed record 2018 fundraising
Top five Senate candidates per election by receipts
Harrison (SC)
2020
through
Oct. 14
$109M
McGrath (KY)
$90M
Kelly (AZ)
$90M
Gideon (ME)
$70M
Graham (SC)
$68M
2018
$85M*
Scott (FL)
O’Rourke (TX)
$80M
Cruz (TX)
$46M
McCaskill (MO)
$40M
$39M*
Hugin (NJ)
2016
Toomey (PA)
$32M
Portman (OH)
$26M
Schumer (NY)
$25M
Feingold (WI)
$25M
$25M
Rubio (FL)
2014
$31M
McConnell (KY)
$31M
Franken (MN)
Hagan (NC)
$25M
Udall (CO)
$21M
Landrieu (LA)
$20M
* Self-funded candidates
Source: Federal Election Commission

Democratic Senate candidates exceed record 2018 fundraising
Top five Senate candidates per election, by funds received
Harrison (SC)
2020
through
Oct. 14
$109M
McGrath (KY)
$90M
Kelly (AZ)
$90M
Gideon (ME)
$70M
Graham (SC)
$68M
2018
Scott (FL)
$85M*
O’Rourke (TX)
$80M
Cruz (TX)
$46M
Three 2020 Democrats surpassed O’Rourke in 2018
McCaskill (MO)
$40M
Hugin (NJ)
$39M*
2016
Toomey (PA)
$32M
Portman (OH)
$26M
Schumer (NY)
$25M
Feingold (WI)
$25M
Rubio (FL)
$25M
2014
$31M
McConnell (KY)
Franken (MN)
$31M
Hagan (NC)
$25M
Udall (CO)
$21M
Landrieu (LA)
$20M
* Self-funded candidates
Source: Federal Election Commission

Democratic Senate candidates exceed record 2018 fundraising
Top five Senate candidates per election, by funds received
Jaime Harrison (SC)
2020
through
Oct. 14
$109M
$90M
Amy McGrath (KY)
$90M
Mark Kelly (AZ)
$70M
Sara Gideon (ME)
$68M
Lindsey Graham (SC)
2018
Rick Scott (FL)
$85M*
Beto O’Rourke (TX)
$80M
Ted Cruz (TX)
$46M
Three 2020 Democrats have surpassed Beto O’Rourke in 2018
Claire McCaskill (MO)
$40M
Robert Hugin (NJ)
$39M*
2016
Pat Toomey (PA)
$32M
Rob Portman (OH)
$26M
Chuck Schumer (NY)
$25M
Russ Feingold (WI)
$25M
Marco Rubio (FL)
$25M
2014
Mitch McConnell (KY)
$31M
Al Franken (MN)
$31M
Kay Hagan (NC)
$25M
Mark Udall (CO)
$21M
$20M
Mary Landrieu (LA)
* Self-funded candidates
Source: Federal Election Commission


But donations do not guarantee victory: O’Rourke lost in 2018. It remains to be seen if Democratic candidates can translate the late influx of donor enthusiasm to success, especially in traditionally red states.
About this story
This analysis combined Federal Election Commission filings from each candidate’s principal campaign committee and from the two main online donor platforms: ActBlue for Democrats, and WinRed for Republicans. Unique donor estimates were created based on a combination of donor name and Zip code. States with competitive Senate races according to the Cook Political Report include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.