WASHINGTON -- As the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, Donald Trump won the battle for Arkansas ballots but lost the competition for Arkansas campaign contributions.
Three years later, the incumbent president aims to win the fight for the state's dollars as well as its votes.
Through the first quarter of this year, the New Yorker's 2020 campaign had reported itemized contributions of $276,381 from the Natural State, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Democrats, eager to win back the White House, also have begun wooing Arkansas donors. Combined, they've got itemized contributions totaling $74,449.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper led the pack in Arkansas, with $39,450 in itemized contributions, election commission records show.
All but $250 of that came from Bentonville. Most of it was contributed by descendants of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
In Arkansas, Hickenlooper was followed by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, with $9,800; former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas, with $8,892; and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont with $4,751. The others reporting total contributions of $1,000 or more were U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California ($3,505); U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey ($2,313); South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg ($2,277) and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts ($1,333).
Five others listed Arkansas contributions of $800 or less.
Because he entered the race in April, there aren't any donations listed for former Vice President Joe Biden; they'll show up on second-quarter filings, which are due July 15.
Daniel Bucheli, a Trump campaign spokesman, portrayed the fundraising figures as a reflection of the president's popularity.
"In Arkansas and across the entire nation, President Trump's undeniable record of success for every American has earned him tremendous grassroots support that will be a cornerstone of the 2020 re-election," Bucheli said Friday in a written statement. "People are showing their support for the President through their time and resources, meaning that the campaign will be well-positioned to re-elect Donald Trump next year."
Brendan Quinn, a spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, said the figures also reflect the incumbent's significant head start.
The center, a Washington-based nonpartisan, nonprofit group, is a longtime tracker of money and politics.
"President Trump made the unusual move of declaring that he was going to run for re-election and filing for re-election on the day he was inaugurated. He has far surpassed fundraising for previous election cycles because he's been running and fundraising for so long," Quinn said.
Trump also benefits from having little competition from within his own party, Quinn said.
Federal law requires candidates to report donors who contribute more than $200. Donations below that amount can and frequently are omitted from the reports.
During the 2016 race, Democrat Hillary Clinton raised just over $2.4 million in Arkansas, with roughly half of that coming from central Arkansas.
In fact, Clinton had more itemized contributions from Pulaski County than Trump had in the entire state.
On Election Day, Pulaski County voters favored Clinton, but the rest of the state heavily favored Trump. He finished with 60.6% of the vote and a cushion of roughly 300,000 votes.
This election cycle, the election commission reports show more donations from Northwest Arkansas than from central Arkansas. This is true for Republican as well as Democratic presidential candidates.
Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Michael John Gray said he's not surprised by Trump's fundraising success.
"Arkansas is a red state. The president should be leading in fundraising in Arkansas. ... He's been raising money way longer than these Democrats," Gray said.
With roughly two dozen Democratic candidates raising money, hiring staff members and actively campaigning for the nomination, some would-be donors are waiting for the field to settle down, Gray suggested.
"At some point, your front-runners or your leaders will emerge, and then I think you'll see fundraising taking an uptick in Arkansas for Democratic candidates," he added.
Sunday on 06/09/2019