Bill Spadea has a fundraising technique that’s been under scrutiny over the past few years.

Margaret McLendon is a retired Georgian woman who had never heard of Bill Spadea. He was a Republican candidate running for governor in New Jersey.

McLendon was surprised when she learned from a reporter, aged 85, that she had donated to Spadea’s campaign six times since October for a grand total of $590.

McLendon said, “I don’t get it”, in a telephone interview. McLendon has a long-standing career with Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services. It bothers me greatly. I don’t recall him… [I]t is my money, and my funds are very limited. “I’m out of money right now.

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Laurie Daiger, a 73 year-old woman from Washington State, was also confused when asked about why she had donated more than 20 times in the past year – an aggregate amount of over $1,000 – to Elect Common Sense – a PAC that is closely affiliated with Spadea. She remembered only donating to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and not the New Jersey group she had never heard about.

Daiger didn’t cancel her credit card until POLITICO informed her that she had donated more than $4,000 to different campaigns.

She said, “It made feel like I didn’t trust people anymore.” It’s disgusting and dirty to do this.

POLITICO contacted more than a dozen small-dollar donors who were frequently listed on the campaign finance report of Spadea or Elect Common Sense. Many of these donors were retired and lived outside New Jersey. Just two of the donors were aware they made frequent donations to Spadea.

Many of the donors POLITICO spoke to shared a common desire to support Trump. They also said that their donations had been processed by WinRed, which is a platform used frequently by Republican candidates.

Spadea’s fundraising strategy could confuse donors. It includes solicitations that don’t mention him until the fine print is at the bottom and automatic recurring contributions. Trump made this strategy famous several years ago, and candidates from both sides have used it. Gavin Newsom in California.

Spadea’s affiliated group has received contributions from hundreds of individuals in New Jersey and throughout the United States. It is hard to tell how many of these donors were unaware that they had made the donations. Spadea’s campaign didn’t directly answer questions about his methods of fundraising, but stated that the donations showed his pro-Trump messages are resonating among voters.

In the tight race to replace the term-limited Democratic Governor, every dollar counts. Phil Murphy is a big deal for Republicans this year. They are likely to be financially behind Democrats in the general election.

Donors are not uncommon to donate to a campaign outside the state where they live, since campaigns often solicit donations from donors that have donated to similar causes and campaigns. To appeal to these out-of state donors, a fundraiser may use a national message and not mention the candidate.

The tactic is legal, but could “be very, very confusing for donors”, said GOP digital strategist Eric Wilson.

Spadea’s email and fundraising appeals are also very different from those of other Republican and Democratic governor candidates in New Jersey. In some cases, donors can choose to have their contributions recur automatically. The box to automatically charge the monthly amount is checked. His campaign website and PAC, unlike many of the emails and texts soliciting donations, does not automatically check for recurring contributions.

Spadea’s fundraising appeal for last month, “KEEP THIS CHECKED,” promotes Melania Trump as the first lady and asks respondents to fill out a survey about her. “The BEST thing you can do to make a difference is to DONATE MONTHLY!”

The contribution to Spadea’s campaign for governor is only revealed when the donor reaches the bottom of this solicitation.

Tom Conrad, 81, a retired CPA in Indiana, said, “I know that he is a Republican candidate for office and he ran to help Trump.” Conrad donated to Spadea’s campaign almost 20 times. One donor had heard of Spadea, but did not intend to donate nearly 30 times to his campaign.

“That’s amazing, I gave 34 time.” “I better stop this,” said Roger Hahn. An 84-year old retiree from Omaha Nebraska who initially did not remember Spadea’s last name.

Some, such as McLendon had no clue who he was, or why they gave to him.

Since years, political operatives have been battling over the automatic recurring donation. Some people have expressed concern that donors, particularly older individuals, who might not be as computer literate, may not realize that they are making multiple donations. The practice’s supporters argue that donors can opt out at any time and that it is an effective way to raise money.

The New York Times published a report in 2021 that found Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign had used this tactic. This led to donors paying large amounts of money unknowingly. In response to that article, Democratic Attorneys General launched an investigation against WinRed for their “inherently misleading”, pre-checked donation boxes. WinRed attempted to block the investigation. A federal court denied it in 2023. This gave Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison permission to continue.

ActBlue now requires that campaigns include an “explicit request for a recurring donation immediately before the donor selects the link” to donate if they wish to use pre-set automatic donations.

Wilson, the strategist said, “A recurring donation box can be a very important strategy and setting for campaigns, as it allows supporters to sustain a campaign.” It’s crucial that you communicate this clearly to your supporters and donors, as it will not set up a positive relationship with them if they are surprised to see that you’re receiving recurring donations.

Mike Hahn is an adviser for the Spadea Campaign’s digital fundraising campaign. He said that the campaign was “humbled” by the support Bill receives from all over the country.

Donors contribute because Bill’s pro Trump, conservative message resonates with them at a national level. Hahn stated that the Spadea campaign adheres to industry best practices when it comes to online fundraising. “Given that New Jersey Republicans had a laughable presence online before Bill, I am not surprised that this has happened.