WASHINGTON — For the first time in a decade, Republican candidates for Congress are raising more than Democrats from small donors.
GOP candidates for the House and Senate so far this year have raised $70 million from small donors, compared with $44 million brought in by Democratic candidates, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The trend is another sign that Republicans have been able to turn their political momentum into money. Reports covering the first quarter already have shown that GOP candidates were closing the gap or exceeding Democrats in key races and that corporations have started to shift behind the party.
The giving also fits a pattern in which small contributors loyal to the opposition are more motivated to give while their party is out of power. The last time Republicans received more small donations than Democrats was during the 1998 midterms, when Democrat Bill Clinton held the presidency.
In suburban Detroit, for example, 70 percent of the $450,000 raised by Republican House candidate Rocky Raczkowski has come in the form of checks of less than $200.
“We have our own MoveOn dot Rocky,” said Raczkowski, who is competing in the republican primary and hopes to face freshman Democratic Rep. Gary Peters. “These aren’t rich people, they are just committed — and angry.”
Raczkowski says auto-industry layoffs in his district have spurred people to take action but denied them the ability to give much money. So they are supporting his campaign platform of small government by giving small bills.
“It’s overwhelming,” Raczkowski said, recalling a grandmother from Waterford, Mich., who wrote him a check for $5 after he answered her question at a gathering of local Tea Party supporters. “She said, ‘I wish I could put more zeros after that, but I’m living on a fixed income.’ “
