Republican Donald Trump received contributions from 539 small-dollar donors in Hamilton County, defined as those who gave less than $200, from January 2019 to February 2020.
During the same time period this election cycle, he had 155 such donors, a steep dropoff in grassroots financial support.
Democrat Joe Biden also saw a dropoff, although not as steep. His grassroots support in conservative Hamilton County has never been as strong as Trump’s. Biden received 55 contributions from small-dollar donors from January 2019 to February 2020 and 53 in the same period this election cycle.
David Kanervo, a retired political science professor from Austin Peay State University, said the data so far this election year does indicate a decrease in contributions for Trump, but that it may not be representative of the rest of the year.
Here are six reasons from Kanervo why small donations to Trump may have been lower in early 2024: