As candidates finish the final leg of their campaigns heading into Election Day, there\u2019s a surge of big donors pouring millions into both state and national races.<\/p>\n
But what about small campaign donations and their impact on helping candidates get across the finish line?<\/p>\n
Spectrum News 1 spoke with some New York candidates who are hoping to step into the next chapters of their political careers about how small donors have impacted their campaigns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen somebody gives $5 to your campaign, they\u2019re like 90% more likely to vote now. They\u2019re invested,\u201d said Maurice \u201cMo\u201d Brown. \u201cYou get that buy-in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown, an Onondaga County legislator, is running against Republican Shawn Fiato to represent New York\u2019s 129th Assembly District on the Democrat and Working Party lines.<\/p>\n
In the June primary, he edged out Democratic incumbent Bill Magnarelli in a race that was so close, it took a week for Onondaga County election officials to announce who won.<\/p>\n
As we approach Nov. 3, Brown says small donors are fueling his campaign\u2019s final push.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the small donors they don\u2019t get enough credit because it\u2019s not flashy, but they\u2019ve powered my campaign,\u201d he said. \u201cI would not be here as the Democratic nominee if it wasn\u2019t for small donors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be the people that are really motivating these campaigns,\u201d said Virginia McIntyre.<\/p>\n
McIntyre, a Monroe County legislator, is running against Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Morelle in New York\u2019s 25th Congressional District race for a seat in the U.S. House.<\/p>\n
McIntyre says she\u2019s rejected PAC money, and her grassroots campaign is funded largely by small donations.<\/p>\n
She says she\u2019s also spending money out of her own pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve had in donations is less than $50,000, which again it would be a lot for some,\u201d said McIntyre. \u201cIt\u2019s not a lot for a congressional campaign. The largest donors we\u2019ve had actually have been there was one that was the max of $3,500.\u201d<\/p>\n
Small campaign donations are typically defined as donations that are $200 or less.<\/p>\n
In years past, they\u2019ve provide major boosts to campaigns in U.S. elections with the familiarity of online donation platforms like ActBlue for Democrats and WinRed for Republicans.<\/p>\n
Marina Pino, counsel for the Brennan Center\u2019s elections and government program, focuses on issues related to money in politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis empowers the small donors to believe they have a fighting chance to be heard by the very candidates that they\u2019re supporting, and at the end of the day when you have more small donors participating in elections, that\u2019s going to make for a more participatory democracy,\u201d said Pino.<\/p>\n
In the state of New York specifically, the small donations can add up for a campaign through the Public Campaign Finance Program<\/a> which matches contributions to candidates running for statewide and state legislative offices.<\/p>\n