NYT analysis: Henricoans donated to Biden three times as often as to Trump since April

A New York Times analysis of presidential campaign fundraising suggests that since April, Henricoans have donated to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign almost three times as often as they have to Republican President Donald Trump’s.

The Times analyzed a total of $1.8 billion donated to the two campaigns by 7.6 million people since April. During that time, it found that Biden outraised Trump $1.06 billion to $732 million, enjoying a significant fundraising advantage in ZIP codes whose median household income was $100,000 or more, where he outraised Trump by nearly $320 million. Elsewhere, the paper found, the two candidates raised nearly the same amount of money.

The newspaper noted, though, that Trump had raised significant money nationally prior to the point at which Biden became the Democratic frontrunner.

Among ZIP codes located entirely or partially in Henrico, the Times estimated that 7,959 people had given money to Biden’s campaign during the past six and-a-half months, while 2,888 had given to Trump’s. (Henrico’s median household income was estimated at $68,500 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.)

The analysis showed Biden with more donors than Trump in every Henrico ZIP code, including more than twice as many in 10 and nearly twice as many in one other. The most lopsided donation totals came in the Northern Henrico 23223 ZIP code (789 Biden donors to just 65 Trump donors) and the Varina 23231 ZIP code (556 to 163 in favor of Biden).

Even in the West End – once a Republican stronghold – Biden showed massive donor advantages, according to the Times’ analysis, attracting contributions from about 2,400 supporters in the 23229, 23233 and 23238 ZIP codes, while Trump received donations from just more than 1,100 there.

Henrico overall has transitioned from its traditional Republican leaning to a Democratic one in the past decade and a half, and the county is expected to be solidly in Biden’s column this year, too. The last time a Republican presidential candidate won Henrico was 2004, when George W. Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry in the county by about 11,000 votes.

Four years ago, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won all five of Henrico’s magisterial districts, though Tuckahoe swung her way by just 22 votes out of nearly 30,000 cast there. Democrat Barack Obama won Henrico’s vote by about 19,000 in 2008 and again in 2012.

The Times wrote that its analysis included more than 25 million donations between April 1 and Oct. 14. It included contributions reported trough the campaign filings of both candidates and several other sources – in total, more than 90 percent of the contributions made to the two candidates and committees associated with them – but did not include donations made directly to the Democratic or Republican parties themselves.

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Henrico ZIP Codes: Presidential campaign donations between April 1-Oct. 14, 2020*

23059: Biden, 796 to 401
23060: Biden, 743 to 303
23075: Biden, 66 to 56
23150: Biden 113 to 105
23222: Biden, 374 to 25
23223: Biden, 789 to 65
23226: Biden, 615 to 211
23227: Biden, 780 to 109
23228: Biden, 517 to 240
23229: Biden, 933 to 415
23233: Biden, 837 to 357
23238: Biden, 636 to 357
23294: Biden, 204 to 81
23231: Biden, 556 to 163

*NY Times analysis, Oct. 2020