ActBlue
| ActBlue | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Somerville, Mass. |
| Type: | PAC |
| Top official: | Regina Wallace-Jones, Executive director |
| Year founded: | 2004 |
| Website: | Official website |
ActBlue is apolitical action committee that raises funds for Democratic and progressive candidates, campaigns, and organizations through its online platform. The organization says they "build and power the premier online fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and nonprofits working to create a better future."[1] As of June 2024, ActBlue had raised over $13.6 billion since its founding in 2004.[2] Contributions distributed through the platform are individual donations, not PAC donations.[3]
Mission
As of October 2024, ActBlue's website said of its mission:[4]
| “ | As a nonprofit, we’re driven by the belief that our democracy works better when more people participate in civic life and when our campaigns and nonprofits are powered by the people they serve. That’s why we’ve built a powerful online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, progressive organizations, and nonprofits.[5] | ” |
History
ActBlue was founded in 2004 by Ben Rahn and Matt DeBergalis to help progressive and Democratic fundraising for electoral and ballot measure campaigns.[6] According to its website, ActBlue aims to further build fundraising technology for the left. Derek Willis atThe New York Times reported that ActBlue began "as an experiment by two friends wanting to finance progressive causes" and has become "a major fund-raising mechanism for the Democratic Party."[7][8][9]
In June 2019, Republicans createdWinRed as a direct response to the work of ActBlue.[10]
ActBlue was used by various presidential campaigns, includingKamala Harris' (D)2024 campaign,Joe Biden's (D),2020 and2024 campaigns, andBernie Sanders' (I)2016 and2020 campaigns.[11][12] Additionally every Democratic candidate in the2020 Democratic primaries utilized ActBlue to process donations.[13]
Work
According toAction Network, ActBlue says it works to "develop top-of-the-line fundraising software and offer simple, intuitive tools to help campaigns and organizations connect with new and existing grassroots donors."[14]
As an online fundraising platform, the organization itself does not donate any money to these candidates.[8] As such, ActBlue has a number of affiliated organizations that comply with federal and state laws regarding political donations.[8][15] The organization's website says it "operate[s] as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations...we don't fundraise, donate, or send texts or emails on behalf of any group."[16]
In March 2016,POLITICO reported that ActBlue had processed its billionth dollar since it began operations in 2004. According to the report, over $100 million of the billion dollars came from donations to Vermont SenatorBernie Sanders' (D) 2016 presidential campaign.[17]
According to an October 2018 analysis byFiveThirtyEight, the $564 million processed by ActBlue between January 2017 and September 30, 2018, was 55 percent of all contributions from individual donors to Democratic congressional candidates. This was more than double the percentage of the 2014 election cycle when ActBlue processed about 19 percent of the total amount of individual donor contributions.[18]
In 2020, ActBlue announced it had processed over $4.8 billion for various candidates and organizations over the course of the 2020 election cycle.[19]
In 2022, on the day of theSupreme Court's decision inDobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ActBlue processed $20.6 million in donations to Democratic groups and candidates.[20]
On July 21, 2024, ActBlue reported $90 million in donations afterJoe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race andKamala Harris' entrance.[21]
Candidate contributions
The following election-related data is taken from reports generated by theCenter for Responsive Politics, a501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that tracks money in American politics through its website OpenSecrets.org. The data presented is not comprehensive of all of ActBlue's various affiliated organizations that the group has set up to comply with federal and state campaign finance laws.
2022
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue raised $2,227,362,048 and processed $2,244,044,305 during the 2022 election cycle.[22]
2020
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue raised $4,318,377,981 and processed $4,267,340,482 during the 2020 election cycle.[23]
2018
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue raised $1,261,994,020 and processed $1,251,055,073 during the 2018 election cycle.[24]
2016
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue processed $276,769 for candidates, $136,190 for the political parties, and $990,498 for527 committees during the 2016 election cycle.[25]
Expenditures
The following table lists the top federal candidates who raised the most money on ActBlue in 2016, according to theCenter for Responsive Politics.[26]
| Top federal ActBlue expenditures in 2016 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | Desired Result | ||
| Isadore Hall |  | Calif. | House | $116,231 |  | ||
| Nancy Pelosi | | Calif. | House | $77,543 |  | ||
| Brady Walkinshaw | | Wash. | House | $14,665 | | ||
| Raul Ruiz | | Calif. | House | $11,690 | | ||
| Tony Cardenas | | Calif. | House | $11,304 | | ||
| Julia Brownley | | Calif. | House | $11,050 | | ||
2014
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue processed $45,069 for Democratic candidates, $570 for the Democratic Party and $806,649 for527 committees during the 2014 election cycle.[27]
Expenditures
The following table lists the top federal candidates who raised the most money on ActBlue in 2014, according to theCenter for Responsive Politics.[28]
| Top federal ActBlue expenditures in 2014 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | Desired Result | ||
| Tony Cardenas | | Calif. | House | $46,130 | | ||
| Ron Dickey | | Miss. | House | $960 | | ||
| Roy Cho | | N.J. | House | $935 | | ||
| Vincent Gregory | | Mich. | House | $250 | | ||
| Seth Moulton | | Mass. | House | | |||
| Jim Graves | | Minn. | House | | |||
2012
According to theCenter for Responsive Politics, ActBlue processed $28,677 for Democratic candidates, $4,510 for the Democratic Party and $467,534 for527 committees during the 2012 election cycle.[29]
Expenditures
The following table lists the top 10 federal candidates who raised the most money on ActBlue in 2012.[30]
| Top 10 largest ActBlue federal expenditures in 2012 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | Desired Result | ||
| Sukhee Kang | | Calif. | House | $522,949 | | ||
| Barack Obama | | N/A | President | $507,595 | | ||
| Elizabeth Warren | | Mass. | Senate | $431,843 | | ||
| Mary Landrieu | | La. | Senate | $248,604 | | ||
| Tim Walz | | Minn. | House | $215,640 | | ||
| Sheldon Whitehouse | | R.I. | Senate | $153,900 | | ||
| Maria Cantwell | | Wash. | Senate | $140,396 | | ||
| Amy Klobuchar | | Minn. | Senate | $128,574 | | ||
| Bill Foster | | Ill. | House | $110,505 | | ||
| Leonard Bembry | | Fla. | House | $109,925 | | ||
Leadership
According to a ActBlue's press releases, and LinkedIn, the following individuals served in the organization's leadership:[31][32][33]
- Regina Wallace-Jones,Executive director
- Matt DeBergalis,Chairman of the board
- Candace King,Head of People & Culture
- Peter Slutsky,Head of Outreach and Chief Revenue Officer
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'ActBlue'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- Democratic Governors Association
External links
- ActBlue
- ActBlue on Twitter
- ActBlue on Facebook
- ActBlue on Instagram
- ActBlue on LinkedIn
- ActBlue on TikTok
Footnotes
- ↑Facebook, "ActBlue," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ActBlue, "Celebrating ActBlue’s 20th Year Anniversary!" June 25, 2024
- ↑ActBlue, "Why is ActBlue considered a PAC?" accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ActBlue, "About Us," accessed October 29, 2024
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑The New York Times, "A Fund-Raising Rainmaker Arises Online," November 29, 2007
- ↑Wired, "ActBlue's One-Click Donations Are Transforming The 2016 Race," November 25, 2015
- ↑8.08.18.2Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedabout - ↑New York Times, "How ActBlue Became a Powerful Force in Fund-Raising," October 9, 2014
- ↑WinRed, "WinRed is Here!" June 23, 2019
- ↑ActBlue, "What happens to my donation to Biden for President?" accessed October 28, 2024
- ↑Revolution Messaging, "Bernie 2016, A full-service digital revolution," accessed October 28, 2024
- ↑The Center for Public Integrity, "Why Democrats are falling over themselves to find small-dollar donors," April 17, 2019
- ↑Action Network, "ActBlue," accessed October 28, 2024
- ↑ActBlue, "Directory," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑ActBlue, "About," accessed October 28, 2024
- ↑POLITICO, "Rubio, Sanders win Sunday contests," March 7, 2016
- ↑FiveThirtyEight, "How ActBlue Is Trying To Turn Small Donations Into A Blue Wave," October 25, 2018
- ↑ActBlue, "The 2020 Election Cycle Recap," December 3, 2020
- ↑CBS News, "ActBlue processed more than half a billion dollars in three-month period," July 20, 2022
- ↑The New York Times, "Harris Raised $81 Million in First 24 Hours as Candidate," July 22, 2024
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2022 Election Cycle," accessed October 29, 2024
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2020 Election Cycle," accessed October 29, 2024
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2018 Election Cycle," accessed September 26, 2019
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2016 Election Cycle," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Recipients Among Federal Candidates, 2016 Cycle," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2014 Election Cycle," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Recipients Among Federal Candidates, 2014 Cycle," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Profile for the 2012 Election Cycle," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑Center for Responsive Politics, "ActBlue Recipients Among Federal Candidates, 2012 Cycle," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑ActBlue, "RELEASE: ACTBLUE ANNOUNCES REGINA WALLACE-JONES AS NEW CEO AND PRESIDENT," January 19, 2-23
- ↑ActBlue, "ActBlue Announces New Leadership Hires," March 4, 2024
- ↑LinkedIn, "Kristen Johansen, accessed October 28, 2024
| |||||||
