How Dark Horse Candidate works
The pledge model
When you pledge, we collect your payment method and store it securely with Stripe. Your card is not charged at the time of pledging.
If the person you're drafting officially files to run before the campaign deadline, you'll receive a notification and have a 48-hour cooling-off period to increase or cancel your pledge. After that window, your card is charged.
If they don't file by the deadline, your pledge is released — no charge, no fine print.
Primary and general elections
Campaigns can target a primary or general election — each is a separate campaign with its own deadline. You can back either or both, up to $3,300 per election.
When pledging to a primary campaign, you can opt in to have your pledge automatically transfer to the linked general election campaign. This transfer happens if the primary deadline passes without a filing, or if the candidate files directly for the general election first — in which case the primary campaign ends and opted-in pledges move to the general. If you don't opt in, your pledge is simply released.
FEC compliance
Dark Horse Candidate operates as a conduit under the pledge-to-draft model approved by the Federal Election Commission in Advisory Opinion 2014-07. Contributions are passed directly to the candidate's campaign upon filing — Dark Horse Candidate does not pool or control funds. Every backer provides the contact and employment information federal law requires for political contributions.
Pledges are capped at $3,300 per election (primary or general), in line with federal individual-to-candidate contribution limits for the 2025-2026 cycle. The minimum pledge is $25.
Nonpartisan by design
Dark Horse Candidate does not take editorial positions, rank candidates by ideology, or filter campaigns by party. Anyone can start a draft for anyone, provided the campaign follows our rules.
FAQ
- What happens during the 48-hour cooling-off period?
- You receive an email notification that the candidate has filed. You have 48 hours to increase your pledge or cancel it entirely. If you do nothing, your card is charged automatically after the window closes.
- What if the draftee asks me to stop?
- They can contact us and opt out. We'll close the campaign and release all pledges.
- Can I cancel my own pledge before the deadline?
- Yes, from your dashboard, at any time before a charge — including during the 48-hour cooling-off period.
- How is “officially filed” verified?
- We require a public link to the FEC filing (for federal races) or the equivalent state or local authority.
- What are the fees?
- 100% of your contribution goes to the candidate. A 3.95% processing fee is added on top of your contribution to cover payment processing and platform operations. You may also leave an optional tip — both the fee and tip are platform charges, not political contributions.
- What does “redirect to general” mean?
- When pledging to a primary election campaign, you can opt in to have your pledge automatically transfer to the linked general election campaign. This happens either when the primary deadline passes without a filing, or when the candidate files directly for the general election first. Your contribution limit of $3,300 per election still applies.