According to his presidential campaign manager, Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised $18.2 million in the first 41 days of running for president. His closest fundraising competitor appears to be Sen. Kamala Harris who has raised $12 million.
Bernie’s Millions
Sander’s campaign manager Faiz Shakir said on a media conference call Tuesday that Sanders had raised this amount totaling $28 million cash-on-hand, the additional money being left over from the senator’s previous run.
Breitbart noted the donor breakdown. Shakir said, “there had been 900,000 individual donations, with the average donation at $20 — down from $27 in the 2016 presidential primary. And 88% of the money raised came from donations of $200 or less…”
Bernie Sanders sets the bar with $18.2M fundraising haul https://t.co/tDyJUIb6Fg
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 2, 2019
It also appears Sanders is raising money faster than he did during his 2016 presidential campaign. “The pace of fundraising was faster than in 2015-6, Shakir said, noting that it took 146 days for Sanders’s first campaign to reach the total it had raised in just 41 days in 2019,” Breitbart reported.
In most polls, Sanders leads with Democratic voters, often tied or in close first or second place with the still undeclared Joe Biden.
What a contrast: A former vice president and Democrat centrist vs. a self-described socialist for control of the Democratic Party.
Fundraising is often an indicator of what campaigns might be able to achieve.
Bernie’s Competitors
You can bet the other Democrats running for president have taken notice of Sanders’ impressive fundraising haul. He can not only put those dollars to good use, but the positive media coverage doesn’t hurt either.
How many former Sanders supporters who reluctantly voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 will be excited to get behind Bernie again? How will this affect the other far left candidates if that base of support cements around Sanders?
How will this stellar fundraising motivate those voters?
Of course, money isn’t always everything. Jeb Bush raised about $150 million when he ran for president as a Republican in 2016 and didn’t have anything to show for it in the end. And his last name was BUSH!
However Bernie Sanders performs from here is anyone’s guess, but this news does indicate that no matter what, he and his supporters can go the distance