{"product_id":"small-donors-in-us-politics-myth-and-reality-paperback","title":"Small Donors in US Politics: Myth and Reality - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eZachary Albert\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA myth-busting investigation of small donors: who they are, how they spend their money, and whose campaigns actually benefit from their donations.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Many political reformers argue that more robust small donor participation in US campaigns would reduce the influence of the wealthiest Americans and improve political responsiveness to ordinary citizens. Drawing on extensive data, including surveys and campaign records, Zachary Albert and Raymond J. La Raja largely dispel this myth, offering the first comprehensive portrait to date of small donors in US elections. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Although small donor contributions to high-profile, national races have increased markedly since 2018, the US campaign finance system allows for even larger sums of money from Super PACs and other independent spending groups. Moreover, small donors are mostly similar to their larger contributor counterparts: both are socioeconomically advantaged, strongly partisan, ideologically extreme, and distinct from non-donors. Small donors can also be impulsive: they tend to give mostly to high-profile candidates on the ideological extremes, empowering media celebrities and norm-breakers rather than consensus-builders, and they underinvest in competitive and down-ballot races. Importantly, the candidates who rely most heavily on small donor support are not necessarily better legislators or representatives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Yet, the story is not entirely bleak. Small donors bring energy and resources, especially for challengers and outsider candidates. The book shows how reforms could channel this energy more productively--by strengthening political parties, emphasizing local representation, and creating systems that broaden participation beyond the most ideological citizens. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Timely, accessible, and grounded in data, \u003ci\u003eSmall Donors in US Politics\u003c\/i\u003e reveals both the promise and the peril of small donor politics--and what it will take to make money in politics serve democracy, not undermine it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZachary Albert \u003c\/b\u003eis assistant professor of politics at Brandeis University. He is the author of \u003ci\u003ePartisan Policy Networks: How Research Organizations Became Party Allies and Political Advocates. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eRaymond J. La Raja \u003c\/b\u003eis professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as cofounder and codirector of the UMass Amherst Poll. He is the coauthor of \u003ci\u003eHometown Inequality: Race, Class, and Representation in American Local Politics\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.89 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 14, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53951383273805,"sku":"9780226850184","price":67.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/9QAWv8KuJV9780226850184.webp?v=1779295823","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/small-donors-in-us-politics-myth-and-reality-paperback","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}