In big Democratic field, a clear top tier emerges
WASHINGTON
— A distinct top tier of Democratic presidential candidates is breaking away from the pack in early polling and fundraising. Though the first nominating contest in Iowa is more than six months away, tighter qualifying standards for the fall debates and cash flow problems have prompted some campaigns to quietly question their viability.
Five candidates have pulled away from the bloated pack: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Most other candidates have struggled to even hit 2% in recent surveys.
Money has also flowed disproportionally to the top five candidates. Buttigieg, who led the field in second-quarter fundraising with $24.8 million, raised more than a quartet of senators — Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Michael Bennet — combined.
The top tier includes moderates and liberals; the oldest contender in the race and the youngest; and a black candidate.
Biden is a fragile front-runner whose decadeslong political career will continue to be picked apart. Harris faces questions about whether she can sustain her spurts of dynamism. Buttigieg is struggling with black voters. And some Democrats anxiously wonder whether Sanders and Warren, the most liberal candidates, could win a general election.
But at least they are in the top tier. Others are mired at the bottom of the pack.
For example, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles raised just $899,000 in the second quarter.
Booker, however, recently added paid Biden Harris
organizers in Nevada and South Carolina and has one of the largest teams on the ground in the early states. Gillibrand’s campaign also has a good ground presence.
But some members of Gillibrand’s team are said to be frustrated that her candidacy isn’t catching on, according to a person with knowledge of the Warren operation. There’s also anxiousness among some lower-level staffers working for former Texas Rep. Beto O’rourke, according to one Democrat. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity.
Gillibrand spent $4.2 million during the second quarter despite raising only $2.2 million. She still has a healthy $8.2 million to keep her afloat. O’rourke has $5.1 million on hand, but he raised just $3.6 million during the second quarter, about half what he brought in during his first 24 hours in the n race.
Struggling candidates will have an opportunity to change their fortunes in the next debate this month, but they may not have another — the Democratic National Committee has tightened the qualifying standards for the fall debates.