North Dakota Democrats Struggling to Raise Money for National Delegates
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders stand together during a campaign rally where Sanders endorsed Clinton in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S., July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder - TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
It’s not just Democratic candidates who are having a hard time attracting support this election cycle. According to posts in a closed Facebook group for Bismarck area liberals the party is also struggling to raise funds for its delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
With the convention set to begin Monday, organizers have raised just a little more than half of the funds needed for their delegates.
A reader sent me screenshots of postings in the Greater Bismarck-Mandan Progressive Coalition (see below). They were captured yesterday afternoon and show that just 54 percent of the more than $25,000 needed to pay for the state’s national delegates had been raised. UPDATE: To be clear, this list appears to be strictly for the 13 delegates pledged for Bernie Sanders. There are 22 delegates total.
That’s…kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?
It’s also a bit unusual to raise money for delegates like this. At least, it’s not something North Dakota Republicans do. I checked in with NDGOP Executive Director Roz Leighton who said her party’s delegates pay their own way, for the most part.
“They’re responsible for their travel costs and hotels,” she told me.
But it does appear as though there has been a national fundraising effort for Bernie Sanders delegates.
Anyway, here are the screenshots. I verified a few of the GoFundMe links, and they’re real.
