US Democrats smashed fundraising records after the death on Friday of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as donors gave out $91.4million in 28 hours.
The money will be funnelled to candidates and progressive groups as Democrats and Republicans braced for a nomination fight for Ginsburg’s successor as 3 November election looms.
The online fundraising organization ActBlue said grassroots donors gave $91.4 million to Democratic candidates and causes in the 28 hours after 8 p.m. Friday, around the time the news of Ginsburg’s death broke.
That figure, coming from 1.5 million donations, broke the all-time ActBlue records for dollars raised in one day and dollars raised in one hour, said Erin Hill, the non-profit’s executive director.
Donors gave $70.6 million on Saturday alone, and $6.3 million in one hour on Friday night, Hill said, beating the group’s previous records of $41.6 million in one day and $4.3 million in one hour.
The death of Ginsburg so close to the Nov. 3 election has energized both the Democratic base and Republican President Donald Trump’s core supporters.
If Trump is able to install a conservative replacement for the liberal Ginsburg, the move would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court.
Much of the Democratic money will be poured into key Senate races, as the party seeks to retake control of the chamber in November.
It will also be used to pressure vulnerable Republican incumbents into opposing a move by Trump to install a new justice before the election.
