Toolkit: How to Successfully Raise Funds for Progressive Candidates

As the political machine ramps up for 2020, The Collective co-founders Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James discuss five key fundraising strategies progressive candidates should replicate if they want to win big.

Minnesota Democratic Congressional-elect Ilhan Omar waves to supporters at an election night results party on November 6, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar won the race for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district seat against Republican candidate Jennifer Zielinski to become one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

By Quentin James, Stefanie Brown James
November 7, 2018

While many are talking about the blue wave that swept the nation on Tuesday (November 6) and gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives, you’re less likely to hear about the funding mechanisms that pushed many progressive candidates to victory.

Traditionally, fundraising has been seen as the single biggest impediment to the success of progressive candidates. But this election saw many progressive candidates outraising their opponents — some of them self-funded millionaires — despite being on the ballot for the first time. They were able to raise money early on, continue their momentum through the general election and ultimately win historic races.

As the political machine ramps up for 2020, here are five key points we should replicate from the fundraising strategies progressive candidates used to win: http://bit.ly/2ATc2F4.

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