Fundraising platform ActBlue says it helped Democratic candidates and organizations raise $833 million in the third quarter, its largest total ever in a non-presidential quarter.
The third-quarter tally, which includes money raised in July, August and September, is made up of more than 22,000 federal, state and local candidates and advocacy groups, and came from more than 3 million unique donors, ActBlue said.
The average contribution amount in the third quarter was $44, ActBlue CEO and President Regina Wallace-Jones said in a statement. “That’s small-dollar democracy at scale, and it’s building real power heading into the midterms,” Wallace-Jones added.
Small-dollar donations overall had been on the decline the past few election cycles, as grassroots voters were squeezed by inflation and perhaps not feeling as enthusiastic about the state of U.S. politics. But with Democrats more competitive in House and Senate races than many predicted, it looks like the small-dollar crowd has made a comeback in 2026: before it set its current record, ActBlue had raised $586 million in this year’s second quarter.
ActBlue has now passed $20 billion in total funds raised since it was founded in 2004. Some of the third quarter’s biggest fundraising days came after primary elections across the country. Donors from California contributed the most, followed by New York and Texas.
While California and New York have been safe Democratic strongholds for decades, the Senate contest in deep red Texas between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton has been unexpectedly close, and the latest polling finds Democrat Gina Hinojosa in a statistical tie with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.