Small-Dollar Donors Smash Records Pre-Midterms with $568 Million Raised, Even as Republicans Continue Attack on Democratic Infrastructure
Three months. That’s all it takes.
Within the past three months, the Trump administration has dragged the country into an unnecessary war, sent gas prices soaring, and unleashed a wave of ICE raids that have left communities in fear. The GOP promised “greatness” but has delivered nothing but misery since taking office.
Americans are feeling the pain and they have had enough. Small-dollar donors have channeled their frustration into action in Q1 2026, raising $568 million, with an average contribution of just $38, for Democratic campaigns and causes. This is the strongest first quarter in ActBlue history, and proof that a blue wave is building.
Q1 2026 By the Numbers: A Historic Moment in Grassroots Giving
- $568 million total dollars raised, a 50% increase compared to Q1 2022. (*Note: We use Q1 2022 as a comparison because it is the same quarter during the last midterm cycle.)
- $391 million raised for federal campaigns, a 65% increase compared to Q1 2022
- 15 million contributions from grassroots supporters
- $38 average contribution amount
- 686,000 new donors on our platform
- $119 million raised for state and local candidates, a 17% increase compared to Q1 2022
- $58 million raised for charities and civic organizations, a 43% increase compared to Q1 2022
State Legislatures: The Last Line of Defense
With the midterms approaching, state legislatures have become the last line of defense against a federal government hell-bent on rolling back basic American protections. Reproductive rights, public education, utility costs — the stakes could not be higher, and small-dollar donors know it.
That’s why they raised $119 million for state and local candidates in Q1 2026 alone, a 17% increase over 2022. They are investing within their communities because they understand that democracy is won at every level of the ballot.
Even with the focus on state and local races, donors didn’t abandon the federal fight. Contributions to federal campaigns surged 65% compared to the same period in 2022.
Greater Tools Access, Broader Campaign Impact
While some Democrats are fighting with their wallets, others are doing their part by running for office.
In Q1 2026, a record number of down-ballot candidates turned to ActBlue’s growing product suite to run high-quality campaigns at a fraction of the cost. With Raise by ActBlue, Impactive by ActBlue, and Hey Victor by ActBlue, everyday people can compete without a major budget behind them.
Whether it’s using Raise to streamline their fundraising, Impactive to power their organizing, or Hey Victor to create their websites, more campaigns are using our products so that they can focus on what’s important: centering the needs of the communities they serve.
ActBlue’s Commitment to Safe, Secure Democratic Fundraising
Republicans have spent years trying to undermine trust in Democratic infrastructure through coordinated attacks and politically motivated investigations. It will not work.
For over 21 years, ActBlue has built and maintained the infrastructure that millions of Americans rely on to participate in democracy at the grassroots level. We take that responsibility seriously. Every dollar that moves through our platform is protected by rigorous compliance protocols that meet and exceed FEC requirements, and we are constantly strengthening our systems to remain the gold standard for secure, compliant democratic campaign infrastructure.
Here are just some of the ways we protect our platform:
- Require Card Verification Values (CVVs) for credit card donations
- Require Americans, including those living abroad, to connect from an internet source in the United States to make a political contribution on the platform
- Deploy an external fraud prevention tool that evaluates over 140 factors, including card type, issuer country, and recent address changes, to detect potentially fraudulent contributions
- Implement the industry-standard Address Verification Service (AVS) to verify cardholder addresses against issuing bank records
- Manual review of contributions flagged by fraud detection tools
No other platform does more to protect the integrity of small-dollar democracy. Regardless of party. Full stop.
Let’s Go Win
Don’t let right-wing noise distract or divide us. Now is the time to get involved and make your voice heard. Get organized, connect with your local party, and find the race or cause that moves you. Whatever you choose – from fundraising to organizing to website design – ActBlue is here to help you make it happen. We are the infrastructure that keeps the Democratic party going.
We’re in this to win this. Are you with us?
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ActBlue is a safe and secure fundraising platform that enables millions of Americans to participate at a grassroots level in the most fundamental pillar of our society: elections. For 21 years, we’ve been a vital part of the infrastructure of our democracy.