How Minnesota donors have boosted Klobuchar's campaign, in three charts
When Sen. Amy Klobuchar takes the stage for Thursday night's Democratic presidential primary debate, it will partially be thanks to thousands of Minnesotans who have given small amounts of money to her campaign.
Among other conditions, Democratic debate rules require presidential candidates to attract progressively higher numbers of small donors in order to participate in primary debates.
And although Klobuchar's campaign has attracted donors from across the country, no state has given in greater numbers than Minnesota, according to the most recent round of campaign finance reports, filed in July.
Here are some ways Minnesotans have helped keep Klobuchar in the mix:
Minnesota's small donors choose Klobuchar
Klobuchar has run on her ability to connect with midwestern voters, including in places Donald Trump won in 2016. With the approaching Iowa caucuses in February and March's Super Tuesday states, which include Minnesota, strong fundraising from voters in those states could signal possible future successes.
Though some Minnesota Democrats remain undecided as nearly two dozen presidential candidates jockey for their support, Klobuchar maintains a healthy lead in donations, cash and unique donors statewide, according to filings by ActBlue — an organization that facilitates most small-dollar Democratic fundraising.
She even leads Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who overwhelmingly won the state caucus in 2016.
And although about one-fifth the roughly 20,000 Minnesotans who gave to Klobuchar also gave to other candidates, the other 80 percent gave exclusively to her campaign, suggesting a hometown advantage not all candidates enjoy.
Minnesota is Klobuchar's top donor source
Along those lines, roughly a quarter of Klobuchar's 79,000 individual donors came from Minnesota, more than any other state. Minnesota also accounts for nearly a third of her nearly $9 million in individual donations.
Though Klobuchar polls similarly to some candidates absent from Thursday night’s debates, her donor count has helped keep her afloat, even as others have failed to qualify or dropped out entirely.
Few candidates raised more from their home states
Factoring in wider sums of money each major candidate has raised — large donations and small based on FEC filings — only Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas., have raised higher percentages of cash than Klobuchar from their home states.
And it's worth noting California and Texas are highly populated with large donor bases, and therefore figure prominently in the fundraising of many candidates.
Klobuchar has also qualified for October's debate with the necessary polls and donors. Future FEC filings will reveal whether her donor base outside Minnesota will continue to expand.