Sanders is raising decent money, he raised $109 million in the first quarter of 2016. Seeing how in the general, public funds are about $91 million to cover 3 months worth of campaigning in the general election, those are pretty comparable numbers, about 30-40 million a month.
I’m going to assume as time passes more and more small donors will donate in future elections. So I’m wondering if any laws have a realistic chance of empowering small donors, and if so how would they work.
In 2008 (or 2004, I forget), John Edwards had a plan that was something akin to every $1 in small donations was matched with $4 in public funds. So if someone in Wyoming donates $50, then the public sector donates an additional $200. Obviously this number would be capped in total and for individuals.
Why do they not bring back tax credits for political donations? Everything you donate up to $250 or so is automatically credited to you when you do your taxes. Not deducted, but a tax credit. Is anything like that realistic? Didn’t they have this until the 80s, your donations were a tax credit? Something like that would make donating to a politician risk free for a small donor.