Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin awash in corporate cash as small donors flee: report

19 April 2023

United States Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) are both up for reelection in 2024. But their ongoing clashes with the Democratic Party are souring voters from contributing to their respective campaigns,The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Manchin, a conservative Democrat who often caucuses with Republicans, and Sinema, who became an Independent last December, "each raised less than 1% of their campaign money between Jan. 1 and March 31 from donors who gave $200 or less. Those are among the lowest percentages in the Senate—and well below their previous grassroots fundraising levels, Federal Election Commission filings show," the paper explained. "In the same quarter four years ago, small donors made up about 18% of Ms. Sinema's campaign contributions and accounted for almost 5% of Mr. Manchin's finances."

Although neither politician is actively engaged in a campaign, Manchin has yet to declare his intent to hold onto his seat. Instead, Manchin has made a number of media appearances teasing a run for president.

At stake, though, is the razor-thin majority that Democrats have in the Senate and thus President Joe Biden's capacity to enact his agenda (presuming that he is reelected).

"Democrats and the three independents who vote with them now hold 51 seats to the Republicans' 49. Next year, 33 seats are up for election, 23 of them now held by Democrats and the aligned independents," noted the Journal. "The map includes contests in such Republican-leaning states as Ohio and Montana. Arizona and especially West Virginia also could elect Republican senators."

Donors and their money, meanwhile, are actively seeking new investments.

"Ms. Sinema has raised a little over $2 million this year, with most of the money coming from donors who gave more than $200. Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat challenging Ms. Sinema's re-election, has collected almost $3.8 million, more than half from donors giving $200 or less, campaign filings show," the Journal pointed out. "Mr. Manchin's campaign reported raising about $371,000 so far this year. In the comparable fundraising quarter six years ago—when he was last beginning an election cycle—he raised about $556,000."

One glaring issue for Sinema and Manchin is where their donations are coming from geographically.

"With grassroots fundraising flagging, Ms. Sinema and Mr. Manchin are more reliant upon major donors and political-action committees, which tend to give only once at the maximum level," according to the Journal. "Ms. Sinema and Mr. Manchin share roughly 700 of the same individual and PAC donors who gave at least $200, a Wall Street Journal analysis of their campaign finance reports found. The analysis covered January 2019, when Ms. Sinema took office as a senator, through the end of last month. The overlap represents a fraction of their donors—Ms. Sinema's campaign alone has had more than 25,000 contributors in that time—but they share some characteristics. Almost all hail from states other than Arizona and West Virginia, and many have tended to give more heavily to Republicans than Democrats."

Another potentially problematic development is that Sinema and Manchin rely heavily on corporate cash.

"Financial industry, pharmaceutical, energy and real-estate PACs gave to both senators. The PACs for SpaceX, Elon Musk's space transportation company, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are among their shared corporate donors," added the Journal. "More than a dozen of their mutual donors also have ties to the group No Labels, which is backed by financial-industry leaders and is supportive of centrist politicians."

View the Journal's full report here (subscription required).

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