Small donors aid Hoffman

If Douglas L. Hoffman's campaign finance report is at last correct, the former Conservative Party candidate in the 23rd Conservative District likely made history by generating more than 60 percent of his funds from small-dollar donors.

Mr. Hoffman, a Lake Placid certified public accountant, reported raising $871,786 from contributors who individually gave $200 or less during last year's special election. The candidate raised $1,431,595 overall, but finished second to William L. Owens, a Plattsburgh Democrat.

"His total receipts were about normal for a challenger who came really close," said Michael J. Malbin, executive director at the Campaign Finance Institute, a nonpartisan group affiliated with George Washington University. "But the proportion of money from small donors is extraordinary. In percentage terms, it's about 10 times the norm."

Mr. Malbin said the burgeoning conservative movement, which has materialized through Tea Party protests and in nationally recognized blogs, embraced Mr. Hoffman as the election's "anti-establishment" candidate.

Richard Briffault, a Columbia University professor who specializes in campaign finance, said Mr. Hoffman also commanded interest because he was in the sole House race last fall. That, he said, attracted donors nationwide.

"The nationalization of the campaign and an intense ideological interest all came together," the professor said.

Under these circumstances, he said, it's "definitely possible" Mr. Hoffman could have raised 60 percent of his cash from small donors.

The figures come from a second report that was submitted after the Federal Elections Commission found two dozen errors, including a discrepancy in unitemized funds, in the initial report. The first report listed $111,977 in small-dollar contributions on a summary page, but also noted $637,958.21 in unitemized contributions in a detailed accounting of individual donations.

Robert H. Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman, said the new numbers reflect reality. He said the majority of the candidate's contributions came from Internet donors who gave $20 or less, helping Mr. Hoffman amass a contributor's list that has from 20,000 to 24,000 names.

"To this day, we're getting e-mails on the campaign, saying, 'I contributed to you last time. Please let us know if you're running again because we'll contribute again,'" Mr. Ryan said. "This was a fight about the heart and soul of the Republican party. You have Republican activists and Tea Party types that were pissed off and they thought this was the little guy. And they sent him some money."

Mr. Ryan said the percentage of small donors is larger than a typical House candidate's share because "the big money contributions were fairly limited."

"The big money that was coming in was through Club for Growth and the PACs," he said. "It's not like Doug had a whole bunch of friends that maxed out. As far as I know, the biggest price tag on any fundraiser was $250."

Mr. Malbin said other federal candidates who have catalyzed certain movements have seen a large percentage of their funds come from small dollar donors.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, raised about 56 percent of the funds he amassed during his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 from donations of less than $200.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, ended at 39 percent in his bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2008, the professor said. Mr. Malbin said 34 percent of Barack Obama's donors during the general election period were from small donors. Howard Dean, a Democratic presidential hopeful in 2004, was in the 30-percent range, he said.

The professor said it would require more study to decide whether Mr. Hoffman made history.

"If it's not a record, it's up there," he said.