GOP online fundraising vehicle WinRed raised $559 million last year as the party began gearing up for November’s midterm elections.
WinRed’s 2021 haul included $158 million in the fourth quarter alone. The Hill was the first outlet to report on the platform’s latest fundraising numbers.
The platform touted its gains at the state and local level as well, saying it processed $80.7 million in such donations last year, including $32 million in the last quarter of the year. First-time donors contributed $209.3 million, including $63.4 million in the fourth quarter, WinRed said.
“Following a record year of fundraising, WinRed is hitting the ground running in 2022,” WinRed president Gerrit Lansing said in a statement to The Hill. “Between WinRed’s lower fee structure and continued growth and innovation, we’re putting Republicans at a competitive advantage. We’re leaving no stone unturned to ensure a successful midterm election for the GOP.”
WinRed announced in September that it would lower the fees it charges candidates and political committees. Beginning in January, the platform is charging a flat 3.94 percent fee per donation, cutting its former model that required campaigns and committees to pay 3.8 percent per transaction, plus an additional 30 cents.
WinRed launched in 2019 as an answer to its Democratic counterpart, ActBlue. The platforms make it easier for donors to give directly to candidates without having to write a check or go through a unique donation portal for a candidate. WinRed and ActBlue make it easier for candidates to raise money from small-dollar donors outside of their respective states or districts.
More than 3,200 campaigns and organizations, including 1,350 at the state and local level, use WinRed.