Sanders campaign hauls in $34.5M
DES MOINES, Iowa — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont raised more than $34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, his presidential campaign said Thursday, yet another display of his enduring financial might fueled by grassroots donors.
Sanders received more than 1.8 million donations in the quarter, with an average donation of $18.53.
His fourth-quarter total is larger than any candidate has raised in a single quarter so far in the primary race. And it soundly eclipsed the totals of several other candidates who have reported figures for the three-month period from Oct. 1 until Dec. 31, including Pete Buttigieg, who said Wednesday that he had raised more than $24.7 million; Joe Biden, who said Thursday that he had collected $22.7 million; and Andrew Yang, who said Thursday that he had raised more than $16.5 million.
Taken together, the high totals suggest the willingness of Democrats eager to defeat President Donald Trump to open their checkbooks and donate to potential nominees.
But Trump still retains a formidable fundraising advantage: On Thursday, his re-election campaign said it had raised $46 million in the final quarter of 2019. That does not include funds raised by the Republican National Committee.
The Trump campaign said it had raised $143 million in 2019 and had a staggering $102.7 million in cash on hand.
Sanders revealed his fundraising haul a day after announcing that he had received more than 5 million donations since entering the race, which he said was more “than any campaign has received at this point in a presidential election in the history of our country.”
Sanders has raised more than $96 million since he announced he was running for president last February, his campaign said.
Another leading candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has not yet disclosed her fundraising total.