Biden not first in Q2 fundraising
Front-runner $3.3M below Buttigieg’s tally
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden has raised
$21.5 million since launching his White House bid in late April, his campaign said Wednesday. While Biden’s haul will put him in the top tier of Democratic fundraisers, he lags behind Pete Buttigieg, a 37-yearold Indiana mayor who was virtually unknown a few months ago.
Buttigieg’s campaign announced earlier in the week that he posted an eye-popping $24.8 million second-quarter haul.
Biden’s fundraising numbers underscore that he is a fragile front-runner. He sits atop most early polls and will have the money he needs to compete aggressively throughout the primary. But his standing as the party’s elder statesman hasn’t scared off his rivals, and it’s clear voters are still open to other options.
Some Democratic strategists expected a larger fundraising number from Biden, given the connections he forged during his years as vice president and as a long-serving U.S. senator. The fact that he lagged behind expectations — and Buttigieg — will likely deepen Democratic worries that the party could be in for a prolonged primary fight at a time when President Donald Trump is making his case to voters and his re-election effort posted a massive $105 million second-quarter haul.
Still, the former vice president’s supporters say they aren’t worried.
“When you are the far-and-away front-runner, everybody is shooting at you,” said Steve Westly, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who is raising money for Biden. “One thing you have to keep in mind is this campaign is a marathon.”
In addition to Biden and Buttigieg, who is the mayor of South Bend, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also reported a large figure, pulling in
$18 million. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said Wednesday that he raised $2.8 million.
Yet to be seen are highly anticipated figures from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Sen. Kamala Harris, who saw a fundraising surge after her breakout performance during last week’s Democratic debates.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Harris said that busing students should be considered by school districts trying to desegregate their locations, not the federal mandate she appeared to support in a debate last week.
Harris criticized Biden for his opposition to mandatory school busing when he was a senator in the 1970s. Harris said she benefited from busing as an elementary school student in Berkley, California, in the early 1970s.
“That’s where the federal government must step in,” Harris said, looking at Biden and winning a burst of applause from the auditorium in Miami.
Harris on Wednesday characterized busing as a choice local school districts have, not the responsibility of the federal government.
Buttigieg wants to increase opportunities for national service and build a network of 1 million service members by 2026. He introduced his national service policy on Wednesday, saying the voluntary plan would help people of different backgrounds form connections like the ones he formed while serving with the Navy Reserve in Afghanistan.
Buttigieg’s plan would add funding for existing federal programs like Americorps and increase the number of opportunities from 75,000 to 250,000, which would cost $20 billion over 10 years. It also would create new service organizations such as a Climate Corps.
Buttigieg’s campaign hasn’t provided a cost for that part or said how it intends to pay for the plan.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to meet with migrants attempting to seek asylum in the United States. Booker is the second 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to visit Juarez, after former Texas Rep. Beto O’rourke made the trip Sunday.