Rules for Election-Year Giving

It’s election time and we’re all getting dozens of emails from candidates and political groups asking for money.

But how do you know if your donation will make a difference? And how do you avoid being scammed?

Here are a few rules to protect yourself:

1. Support conservative candidates. There’s nothing worse than donating to a candidate who says they’re conservative during the campaign, but then votes with the Democrats in Washington. It’s best to direct your limited dollars to candidates that have proven records. Senate Conservatives Fund has a list of battle-tested Senate candidates, but you can also do your own research on websites like Conservative Review.
2. Support viable candidates. Some candidates have no chance of winning, but have consultants who want to use their campaigns to raise money. This happens frequently when the candidate is running against a nationally recognized liberal in a state or district that is dominated by Democrat voters. While you may want to defeat the liberal, you might not want to donate to their challenger if there is no chance of winning. You can find public polling for the most competitive races at Real Clear Politics and you can find race ratings using the Cook Political Report and other sources.
3. Watch out for “matching” campaigns. Many politicians and political groups have begun to tell donors they will match their gifts three, four, and even five times. It’s a sham. These offers suggest that they have a giant pot of money that will not be spent unless you donate to “unlock” it. In most cases, this is completely untrue. If you give to someone making this offer, don’t count on your donation being matched.
4. Avoid Scam PACs. Some groups raise money in the name of helping conservative candidates, but then do very little to help those candidates. This happened to me when I ran for Governor. There are two good ways to identify these scammers. First, find out if their support was sought out or publicly praised by the candidates. Second, see if they will allow you to give directly to the candidates through their PAC. SCF, for example, only supports candidates who have requested our support and donors can give directly to any of our candidates through SCF.

This is a critical time in the election cycle and it’s important for us to maximize the impact of our political contributions.

If we follow these rules and work together, we can make a meaningful impact on the direction of our country by electing leaders who will fight for our principles and values.

Please join us in this fight by supporting the seven U.S. Senate candidates backed by the Senate Conservatives Fund.

SCF will pay all processing fees and transfer 100% of your candidate contributions to their campaigns.

It’s the best way to impact the November elections. Your donations will go directly to the best Senate candidates and truly help them win on Election Day. No liberals, no gimmicks.

Thank you for supporting the conservative cause. We’re honored to be able to stand with you in the fight for America’s future.