Bernie amasses $34M in donations, crushing Biden

Joe Biden may be leading in most polls, but fellow Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders is trouncing him in the money race.

Powered by small donors, Sanders raked in a $34.5 million in the last quarter of 2019, including $18 million in December alone, his campaign announced Thursday.

Sanders (photo) far outpaced Biden, who had to settle for an unspectacular $22.7 million haul since Oct. 1. Upstart candidate Pete Buttigieg edged out Biden by raising $24.7 million.

The rumpled lefty said the blowout fund-raising report shows he’s the Democratic candidate who can beat President Trump in November — and boasted he would raise $1 billion from small donors for a general election campaign.

“Our campaign has proven we will be able to raise more than enough money to win,” Sanders said in an email to supporters.

His campaign says it received more than 1.8 million individual contributions in the fourth quarter, including 900,000 in December alone, with an average donation of roughly $18.50. The most common occupation listed by Sanders’ supporters was teacher, and the five most common employers were Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, the U.S. Postal Service and Target.

The impressive showing for Sanders suggests that he continues to shrug off questions about his candidacy after his cardiac incident last fall.

Sanders has mounted a comeback in the polls since a summer slump and his supporters say he has momentum as candidates enter the home stretch before the first-inthe-nation Iowa caucuses in just four weeks time.

On the heels of Sanders’ money announcement, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams officially endorsed the democratic socialist’s presidential bid.

“It’s critically important to have someone like Bernie Sanders as the next president because we have to have someone who’s not just going to heal and unite, but who is going to change the system that’s in place,” Williams said in a statement, becoming the latest New York City progressive to endorse the 78-yearold Vermont senator.

Queens-Bronx Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Sanders in October.

Biden, 77, boasted that his own haul was his biggest yet — and said it showed Trump’s Ukraine-related attacks on him were backfiring.

The ex-vice president continues to hold a healthy lead nationally over Sanders in the polls and the rest of the crowded field. But that could change when primary voters actually start casting ballots starting next month.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had not released her Q4 numbers as of Thursday afternoon.