Politics

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump Supporters Have One Major Thing in Common

October 19th 2015

Though Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he would be primarily responsible for funding his campaign, financial reports filed last week show that more than 70 percent of the $3.9 million he raised between July and September came from people who donated $200 or less.

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The billionaire real estate mogul has accepted 73,942 contributions since announcing his presidential run in June, the Associated Press reported. That's more small-donor contributions than any of his GOP opponents and second only to Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who has collected nearly $41.5 million from 680,959 campaign donors.

Only 270 of Sanders' hundreds of thousands of donors gave the maximum individual contribution. Trump's campaign said that the average contribution it received was $50.46. For Sanders, that number was closer to $30, according to the Huffington Post.

Both candidates have a populist appeal that has attracted small donors, but supporters cite different reasons for donating. Sanders has regularly called for a grassroots campaign effort, condemning candidates who accept money from Wall Street and large corporations. Trump, for his part, views his campaign in similar terms, claiming to reject donations that do not align with his political agenda.

Whereas Sanders' supporters have rallied behind him in an effort to match the campaign funds of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, Trump's base is giving what they can as a show of support and expression of appreciation.

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"The contributors are in small towns, suburbs and big cities," the Associated Press reported. "He's raised money from hundreds of retirees, ranchers, dentists, physicians, real estate executives and financial consultants."

"While Trump originally denounced the idea of contributions, he appeared to warm to the idea over the summer. His campaign now makes it easy to give, with a prominent 'Donate Button' on his website. The site also offers an online store full of campaign gear, such as $30 hats with Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan and $50 sweatshirts. The latest filings show that the vast majority of Trump's campaign expenses in the last quarter were financed by contributions, not by Trump himself."

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