maxed donations for bernie via actblue, now what?

March 10, 2016 1:33 PM

I think I have hit the $2700 donation limit (via ActBlue) for Bernie in the primary race. Where else can I contribute dollars towards his nomination? I could buy campaign tshirts I suppose, but what other pacs or fundraising groups can I donate to that will support his campaign in the democratic primaries?

I'm aware of moveon but unclear on what they're doing for Bernie. I'm especially interested in groups that are getting out the vote for him, followed by groups doing pro-Bernie or (on issues) anti-Hillary ads.

posted by anonymous to Law & Government (10 answers total)

Buying t-shirts and the like, from the official campaign store, may legally count as a contribution and put you over the limit.

NNU is a labour union which operates a pro-Sanders super-PAC. You could donate to them, I guess.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:51 PM on March 10, 2016

Opensecrets has a list of all the outside organizations/people who have spent money for the Sanders campaign. However, Sanders does not currently have an operational single-purpose SuperPAC that is dedicated only to working towards his election. You can also use that site to look at who is spending money against Clinton.

I will say that I believe that donating to an outside organization to go over your individual PAC donation limit would be contrary to Sanders beliefs on campaign financing.
posted by muddgirl at 2:11 PM on March 10, 2016 [12 favorites]

If you like the environment, looks like this PAC is supporting Bernie and also fighting for Environmental causes in general.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:16 PM on March 10, 2016

I agree that this idea kinda goes against Bernie's own beliefs on campaign finance. :) He has specifically chosen not to set up a SuperPAC like pretty much every other candidate. What about volunteering instead and doing phone calls or door-to-door GOTV?
posted by rainbowbrite at 3:11 PM on March 10, 2016 [10 favorites]

What Bernie needs most now is time, not money. At /r/sandersforpresident, you can sign up for phone banking or canvassing. There are subreddits for each state's primary as well. You could hold a phone banking party at your house or another location (they just had one in my district last night).

Also consider donating to the campaigns of people that have endorsed him and/or his policies (e.g., Tim Canova who is competing for DWS' seat in FL).
posted by melissasaurus at 5:08 PM on March 10, 2016 [3 favorites]

One of the most common complaints about Bernie is that if elected, he's not going to be able to work with Congress, but 88% of those seats are up for reelection this year too! This is bigger than Bernie--it's a whole movement--so check out key races nationwide, and see where your money would go the furthest in getting more progressives in office.
posted by veery at 6:47 AM on March 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

Seconding veery. Bernie is not god, and has a relatively poor record of coalition-building in Congress. Look for downticket candidates you can support and when you donate let them know that the donation is coming from a Sanders supporter.
posted by Wretch729 at 9:12 AM on March 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

And for ideas -- check out Sister Giant's online progressive candidate summit; Crooks and Liars also did a good roundup here.
posted by veery at 12:16 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

1. Support local, down ticket progressive candidates! House, state legislature, local office. That's how we will consolidate progressive power. And if you live in San Francisco, I have specific recommendations for you.

2. Echoing suggestions above about time -- phone banking and canvassing are a huge help. If you can't do it yourself, support unions and other groups that are sending people to key states to do it.
posted by gingerbeer at 7:24 PM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

You could also donate to an organization that supports progressives generally, like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee
posted by Tehhund at 4:41 AM on March 12, 2016