Bernie Sanders takes the early fundraising lead for 2020
Bernie Sanders’s supporters are still feeling the Bern, Kamala Harris is proving that she’s a contender and Pete Buttigieg has beaten expectations.
Hoping to solidify their positions as top-tier candidates in the eyes of voters, the Democratic presidential hopefuls began releasing first quarter fundraising totals this week, ahead of an April 15 deadline set by the Federal Election Commission.
The early numbers show Sanders took in $18.2 million in donations in the first three months of the year, including $5.9 million in the first day after his announcement. Harris raised $12 million for the quarter, and Buttigieg, the Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind., boasted just over $7 million in donations for his presidential bid.
The 12 other Democrats who have announced their candidacies have yet to release first quarter totals, but in the 24-hour period following their entry into the race, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke bested Sanders with an impressive $6.1 million haul. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Gov. John Hickenlooper both said their campaigns took in one-day donations of $1 million.
Sanders, Harris and Buttigieg touted their fundraising numbers on social media.
An incredible 525,000 people have already contributed to our campaign.
The most common profession? Teachers. The average donation? Just $20.
This campaign is about all of us—not billionaire donors and Super PACs.— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 2, 2019
Over the last two months, the response to our campaign has been inspiring:
- $12 million raised
- 218,000 individual contributions
- 99% of donors can give again
No corporate PACs. No federal lobbyists. A real, grassroots campaign — by the people and for the people.— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 2, 2019
This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year. We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I'll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters. pic.twitter.com/rDmTEiTfCs
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 1, 2019
While Sanders raised more in the first quarter of this year than he did four years ago, when he raised $15 million in the first quarter, his $18 million is still well below the $46 million Hillary Clinton raised in the first three months of her failed 2016 White House bid.
President Trump has raised nearly $70 million for his reelection campaign.
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