Campaign cash rolling in
Buttigieg racks up $24.7M for more than $76M total
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg raked in more than $24.7 million in political contributions in the final quarter of 2019, bringing his total for the year to more than $76 million, his campaign said Wednesday.
Buttigieg’s campaign manager, Mike Schmuhl, said in a statement that 326,000 people contributed to the campaign in the fourth quarter with an average donation of $33. For the year, he said the campaign received contributions from more than 733,000 people. And of the more than $76 million raised in 2019, 98% was donations of less than $200, Schmuhl also said.
The totals for the mayor, whose last day in office was Wednesday, underscores his position as one of the leading Democratic candidates. Buttigieg has consistently placed fourth in most recent national polls while also polling at or near in the top in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the 2020 primary season.
Candidates’ fundraising totals are crucial in the final weeks before the
Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3 as the presidential hopefuls race to win over the remaining undecided voters.
Schmuhl said Buttigieg’s resources have allowed him to open 35 offices with 100 organizers in Iowa and 65 offices with more than 500 staffers nationwide.
His numbers reflected something of a rebound after raising just over $19 million in the previous quarter. While still a healthy total, that haul was a dip from the campaign’s $24.8 million second quarter that helped propel him to the front of the large Democratic field.