Democrats spend big to draw small-dollar donors

Montana Governor Steve Bullock was told how he could qualify for the next presidential debate, but it didn’t make much sense: Spend $60. Attract a US$1 donor. And repeat, maybe thousands of times.

“You spend US$60 on Facebook right now to get a US$1 donor,” Bullock said last week while campaigning in Iowa , referring to the 130,000 donor threshold that is one of the requirements to reach the debate stage in Houston next month. “I don’t know if I’ll make the threshold.”

He’s not alone. Facing a Wednesday deadline, a handful of Democratic White House hopefuls are racing against time – and odds – to qualify, trying desperately to meet the donor targets, as well as reaching two per cent in four approved public-opinion polls.