In the US, campaign contributions are often a key part of the success of political candidates and can be an effective way for groups to achieve better representation through this support. In a new study, Kira Sanbonmatsu looks at some of the reasons behind why Black women and Latinas contribute less to political candidates, especially compared to whites and men of color. She finds that a shared norm of political giving is missing for both Black women and Latinas – giving to candidates is less socially valued compared to other civic activities such as voting and giving to charities.

Voters are at the heart of US elections. But how do candidates reach the ballot in the first place? And whose campaigns attract the most votes? Campaign contributors help determine who runs and wins. Yet the makeup of donors does not reflect the US population. Contributions from men exceed those from women. And racial differences in income and wealth distort the donor pool, leading to inequalities in whose views are represented in government.

Our research at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) examined giving to 2024 congressional candidates. Using CAWP data on women candidates, campaign finance data from OpenSecrets, and donor demographic information from Catalist, we analyzed donor gender and race patterns in financing congressional and state elections. Contributions from Black women amounted to just one percent of funding given to all 2024 congressional candidates. The amount from Latinas was also almost negligible: Latinas contributed just one percent of all funds. Thus, Black women and Latinas wielded less political influence than other groups via this vital form of participation. This is consistent with past research on Black women and Latinas, and how gender and race, and their intersection, shapes political behavior.

Understanding differences in political contributions

My new research sheds light on these dynamics. It centers Black women and Latinas—two groups who are sorely underrepresented as campaign contributors. Relative to whites and men of color, both groups of women earn less and control less wealth—resource disparities that can hamper their ability to elect their preferred candidates and influence policy.

Given the extremely low proportion of funds donated by Black women and Latinas, I turned to a public opinion study. With original national surveys, I investigated how women’s attitudes towards political giving compared with their attitudes towards other civic and political activities. By comparing women’s attitudes towards political giving with their attitudes toward charitable giving, I was able to hold resource levels constant. This comparison enabled me to isolate what attitudes might be at work in women’s campaign contribution decisions.

Photo by Isaac Lind on Unsplash

Studies have shown that there are incentives to behave in ways consistent with expectations and community norms, providing a mechanism that can lead to higher participation rates. To compare the value women place on political versus charitable giving, my study included a question wording experiment, a vignette experiment, and a question that asked respondents to rate the likelihood that they would share their participation in various activities with their networks. This design was modeled on previous political behavior studies.

I found that a shared norm of political giving is missing for both Black women and Latinas. For example, for these groups, donating money to a candidate was the civic or political activity least likely to be shared with friends and family (see Figure 1). In contrast, the act of voting was the most likely to be shared. And even though both activities require money to participate, the act of donating to political candidates was less likely to be shared than donating to charity.

Figure 1 – Percentage “very likely” to share activity with friends and family

I also found that Latinas were more likely than Black women to draw distinctions between political giving and charitable giving. For example, Latinas perceive that people who donate money to charities are more likely to be “good community members” than people who donate to political candidates.

Challenges around making political giving more representative

My results suggest that Black women and Latinas are unlikely to face a social penalty if they decline to contribute to political candidates. Giving to candidates is less socially valued—and perceived as less effective—compared to other types of civic and political activities.

Candidates, parties, activists, and organizations should take these attitudes towards political giving into account in their fundraising strategies. If women held it in higher regard, their level of political giving might rise to their level of charitable giving. Indeed, organizations such as Higher Heights for America PAC and PODER PAC can move the needle by helping women see the connection between political giving and policy change.

And who runs matters. We know that whether candidates reflect their constituencies can shape who donates. With record-setting fundraising numbers, Vice President Kamala Harris was able to mobilize new donors. However, with Harris’ defeat in the presidential election and stasis in the diversity of women serving in Congress, the challenge of cultivating more representative candidate and donor pools persists.

• This article is based on the paper, “Understanding Black Women’s and Latinas’ Perspectives about Political Giving” in PS: Political Science & Politics. 
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• Note: This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USAPP – American Politics and Policy, nor the London School of Economics. 
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