Money and Pathways to Participation: Campaign Contributions and Identity
2026-07-14
Political participation research about race and immigration does not usually single out campaign contributions for analysis. Gender studies about money and politics are more common but usually focus on candidates with insufficient attention to the gender and racial identities of donors. This paper leverages newly available 2024 survey data from the Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS) to study gender, race/ethnicity, and immigration in campaign contribution decisions. It examines differences in pathways to participation across racial/ethnic and gender groups, analyzing monetary and non-monetary factors. It aims to contribute to theoretical debates about how gender, race/ethnicity, and immigration shape opportunities for political voice and—ultimately—representation. The underrepresentation of racial/ethnic groups as campaign contributors is often attributed solely to class and wealth differences. Yet, the findings from this study about donation decisions show that the situation is more complex. In particular, monetary factors play a more limited role for Asian Americans’ political giving decisions than for other groups. The study sheds light on how inequalities in giving could be addressed in the future.