O’rourke’s ‘largest grassroots’ haul: $6.1M in a day
CENTER LINE, Mich. — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’rourke boasted Monday that the more than $6 million he raised online within a day of announcing his White House bid, the most reported by any 2020 candidate, was helping to create “the largest grassroots campaign this country has ever seen.”
The “record-breaking” $6.1 million collected last week came “without a dime” from political action committees, corporations or special interests, O’rourke spokesman Chris Evans tweeted. The figure is just above what Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reported for his first day as a 2020 candidate.
O’rourke, a former Texas congressman, jumped into the presidential race on Thursday after months of speculation.
The new figures set O’rourke and Sanders apart from the rest of the Democratic field in launch day fundraising. California Sen. Kamala Harris reported raising $1.5 million in the 24 hours after she launched her campaign in January.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar reported raising $1 million in the 48 hours after launching her campaign in February.
Sanders has set the pace for 2020 grassroots donations. Aided by the $6 million he pulled in on his first day as a candidate, he took in more than $10 million in the first week, overwhelmingly from small donors.
O’rourke and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York stopped Monday in the vote-rich Detroit area for multiple events, a year before Michigan’s primary. President Donald Trump will campaign in Michigan next week.