Biden campaign war chest hits record high

‘The stakes could not be higher for the future of this country ... we are making sure every voter knows it’

JOE BIDEN’S push for re-election raised more than $53million (£122million) during February and now totals $155million after pulling in the most grassroots fundraising since the campaign’s launch.

February’s fundraising came just before Mr Biden clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination earlier this month and before he raised $10million in the 24 hours after his fiery State of the Union address.

About 1.3 million donors have made nearly 3.4 million contributions, and 97 per cent of donations have been under $200, according to a statement from the Biden campaign yesterday.

Mr Biden’s cash-on-hand total is the highest amassed by any Democratic candidate in history at this point in the campaign, his representatives said.

They said it signifies the success of the president trip to California last month, during which he attended fundraisers in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.

They claimed opposition to Donald Trump, who clinched the Republican Party’s nomination last week, has motivated many donors. The campaign generated $1.6 million in grassroots revenue in the 48 hours following the Republi- can primary in South Carolina, while Trump-focused emails have also driven donations, Mr Biden’s team said.

“The stakes of this election couldn’t be higher for the future of this country, and our historic fundraising operation is making sure every voter knows these stakes come November,” said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Mr Biden’s campaign manager.

A recent Reuters-ipsos poll showed Mr Biden had a marginal one percentage point lead over Trump.

Some 39 per cent of registered voters in the one-week poll said they would vote for Biden “if the election were held today”, compared with 38 per cent who picked the Republican former president Mr Trump.