Existing research on political fundraising in presidential primaries suggest fundraising totals are the result of campaign competitiveness and the candidates' existing political networks. Under the context of intra-factional or ideological competition, I present an integrated approach for explaining donor behavior in presidential primaries. The presidential nominating system is unique in American politics. Potential contributors therefore have more options for meeting their ideological preferences, but are also likely aware of the candidates' chances for victory. Consequently, I argue that we should expect that some donors use purely ideological reasoning, some donors use purely strategic reasoning, some donors use both ideological and strategic reasoning, and the conflict between ideological preferences and campaign competition should be reflected in campaign fundraising totals.
