Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced a $34.5 million fundraising haul in the final quarter of 2019.
The money is an eye-popping sum that Politico described as a “blowout fundraising number.” No other Democrat has announced a bigger haul, and Sanders is expected to far out-pace the candidates who are yet to share their funding numbers.
Sanders’ fourth-quarter raise brings his total to around $96 million, which he’s brought in from a historic 5 million contributions. His campaign says the average donation was $18 and added that it picked up 300,000 new donors in the last quarter. The Sanders campaign is celebrating the fundraising as proof that he’s the candidate best positioned to beat President Donald Trump in 2020.
“He is proving each and every day that working-class Americans are ready and willing to fully fund a campaign that stands up for them and takes on the biggest corporations and the wealthy,” campaign manager Faiz Shakir said in a statement. “You build a grassroots movement to beat Donald Trump and create a political revolution one $18 donation at a time, and that’s exactly why Bernie is going to win.”
Bernie Sanders raised the most amount of money last quarter and has the most number of donors by a long mile. He is a force to be reckoned with, and the media needs to start covering him like the top contender that he is.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 2, 2020
So far, three other big-name Democrats have revealed their funding numbers from the quarter: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor of South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Buttigieg’s campaign said he brought in $24.7 million in the final quarter of 2019, Biden’s reported $22.7 million and Yang said his campaign raised $16.5 million. That was the biggest haul of any quarter for Yang and Biden.
Still, all three candidates lag far behind Sanders, and they aren’t alone.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) hasn’t released her numbers, as of publication, but has previously noted her goal is to bring in just $20 million. That number is less than she had brought in during the previous quarter and appeared to lower expectations.
In the meantime, President Donald Trump announced he had raised $46 million in the same time period.
Pundits and pollsters immediately reacted to the news of Sanders’ fundraising, saying it indicated lots of enthusiasm for the candidate. Perhaps most important were the 300,000 new donors, which indicates his campaign’s grassroots coalition is still growing.
On Twitter, Editor-in-Chief at FiveThirtyEight Nate Silver said his views have changed a bit about fundraising, and he now sees the money “as important” as things like endorsements. Still, Silver says polls are “by far the most predictive indicator” of who can win a race.
“In the last quarter of 2019, an incredible 300,000 people donated to our campaign for the first time,” Sanders said on Twitter. “This campaign is about bringing people into the political process to fight for justice. That is how we are going to defeat Donald Trump and transform this country.”