San Diego – As Republicans nationwide continue to struggle with online fundraising, one bright spot comes from an unexpected place: California.
Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio has built an expansive and powerful online statewide grassroots donor network as he leads his Reform California Super PAC to oppose unfair and costly tax hikes and advocate for accountable government.
In the past 12 months, DeMaio’s PAC raised more than $3 million all from over 35,000 grassroots donors solicited through online channels. Reform California, a political action committee that DeMaio has led since 2003, is now one of the largest government reform groups in California with nearly 600,000 subscribers.
More importantly, many campaigns hire outside vendors to raise small sums through costly direct mail and online prospecting campaigns. In the vast majority of cases, those campaigns may raise $100 from a donor, but the cost of direct mail and online prospecting – plus vendor commission – leaves the campaign with as little as $5! In stark contrast, Reform California’s cost-of-funds is only 4% – leaving 96% of funds available for actual campaign spending.
Moreover, given that the average online contribution was just nearly $37, it’s clear Reform California has empowered grassroots support in the left-leaning state. “With the support of thousands of small donors, we can make our voice heard in a political system too often dominated by big money from a handful of powerful special interests,” DeMaio said.
“There can be no doubt: Carl DeMaio has built the biggest online grassroots donor database of any Republican official or group in California,” said campaign veteran and digital expert Dave McCulloch of Capitol Media Partners – the firm DeMaio retained to assist with his digital fundraising. “When you give voters something to believe in, they want to help – even in a David versus Goliath fight in California – and the grassroots support comes alive online,” he concluded.
About Reform California
Formed in 2003 by former San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio, Reform California is dedicated to holding state and local government accountable and fighting costly and unfair taxes, mandates, and fees because working families cannot afford a higher cost of living — and state and local politicians already have enough of our money. For more information, visit reformcalifornia.org
Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE
