ActBlue's Breakout Year
[by David S. Bernstein]
When I first wrote about ActBlue, the Cambridge-based web
site connecting progressive contributors to candidates, it had processed about
$250,000 of donations to 125 campaigns. (See "Two
Schmoes," September 2004) Yet I wrote that it "may not be
crazy" to think that ActBlue could, as its founders envisioned, move $15 to $20 million in the 2006
election cycle.
Guess what? ActBlue's co-founders, Benjamin Rahn and Matthew DeBergalis, say
they have sent more than $17 million to well over 1000 Democratic candidates
and committees -- including some $12 million in the six months leading up to
election day.
That includes almost a quarter-million for state legislative leaders, which
helped flip nine state chambers from R to D -- and earned ActBlue a grateful
public acknowledgement from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
And now, ActBlue has won a ruling from the Federal Elections Commission that
will allow it to begin raising money for potential Presidential
candidates. So, you can, right now, set up an ActBlue contribution page for,
say, "Draft Brack Obama," or whoever you prefer. If Obama enters the
race, the donated money will go to his campaign committee; if not, it will go
to the Democratic National Committee.
It looks more and more like the road to electoral success
for Democrats runs through Rahn and DeBergalis. Nice job, guys.