Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign reminded supporters on Wednesday that the Democrat challenger to President Joe Biden is facing a “crucial deadline” on Friday. It will be the first time the presidential hopeful’s campaign donations will be made public.
In an urgent appeal for contributions, the Kennedy campaign disabused the notion that the Kennedy Family scion is running a “$100 million campaign.” Sure, Kennedy “shot up to 20% support among Democratic primary voters right out of the gate,” but that doesn’t mean the multimillionaire’s campaign war chest is spilling over.
“In fact, we’ve raised less than $4 million dollars. A typical Presidential campaign spends at least 100 times that,” the campaign declared in a fund-raising appeal in front of Friday’s July quarterly filing deadline with the Federal Election Commission.
In short, the Kennedy camp needs campaign cash to show the Democratic Party establishment, the media, and the political world that the renegade candidate’s quest to knock out an unpopular incumbent is the real deal.
“Imagine what we can do with the next $4 million. We are going to win this election,” a confident-sounding Kennedy campaign asserts.
Presidential politics makes beggars out of the well-to-do.
Urgent-sounding appeals are going out to would-be donors all over the country this week as presidential campaigns scurry to bolster campaign contributions that will be reported in the coming weeks. Cash doesn’t just keep a presidential campaign afloat; it equals support, which generates more cash, which gives the appearance of more support.
U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) spelled out the consequences if he doesn’t post enough donors and donations this quarter.
“This means every other candidate will know how much I raised and how many supporters I have. This could make or break my campaign, and I’m starting to get nervous,” the Republican presidential hopeful fretted this week in an email appeal.
Meanwhile, the campaign for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t above a little material inducement. The campaign was giving out “Midnight Gator Hats” with donations of $64 or better, while supplies last, of course.
More so, according to an email sent Tuesday, the DeSantis campaign cares about its donors. The Republican Governor’s presidential campaign announced it was hoping to hit the 100,000 donor mark. As of Tuesday, 50,000-plus donor names had made it on to the DeSantis donor wall.
“Our campaign team has been putting marker-to-wall all month long to hand-write the names every Team DeSantis donor to make sure every team member knows how big of a part they’re playing in this race,” the appeal stated.
Fundraising is a big part of the Republican National Committee’s qualifying criteria for the first GOP presidential candidates debate, slated for August 23 in Milwaukee.
Candidates will have to collect contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors. They don’t have to be big donations, but they do have to hit the individual mark. Hopefuls have until August 21 to raise enough — along with meeting polling and other standards — to make the cut. That could mean being relegated to the second-night debate (the kids table of presidential debates) or missing out altogether.
In the 2016 presidential election cycle, the RNC kept participation to the top 10 contenders based on position in nationally recognized polls. Others whose names were at least noted in the polls were permitted entry to a second debate.
But prime time is definitely where it’s at. Some 24 million people watched the first Republican Party debate on Fox News Channel in 2015. No doubt then-curious candidate Donald Trump’s involvement juiced interest. The former president has said he may not show up to the debates this time around.
There’s a lot of competition out there for political campaign dollars. Presidential candidates also are competing with fundraising appeal fatigue. A 2022 study by marketing software company Campaign Monitor found government and political emails have an open rate of 19 percent, with click-through at under 3 percent.
“Donors are really turned off by the bombardment and tone of fundraising solicitations,” Eric Wilson, a GOP digital strategist whose Center for Campaign Innovation told Bloomberg. His firm did a study of digital fundraising after the 2022 elections.
“Campaigns have to figure out how to do more with less,” Wilson told the publication.
That’s certainly Kennedy’s plea in his campaign’s latest fundraising solicitation email, appealing to the thrifty.
“We are doing a lot more with a lot less – thanks to people like you,” the appeal claims.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Robert Kennedy Jr. ” by Robert Kennedy Jr. Photo “Tim Scott” by Tim Scott. Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Ron DeSantis.
