Joe Biden Raised $21.5 Million For His White House Bid, Campaign Says

Joe Biden’s campaign said Wednesday that he raised $21.5 million between the time he joined the race on April 25 and the end of June, drawing one of the largest quarterly hauls reported by a Democratic candidate in the primaries.

The amount raised by the former vice president during the nearly 10 weeks he has been in the presidential race shows his fundraising prowess in the early stages of the crowded Democratic primary, in which he holds a lead over his rivals.

But Biden’s haul trailed behind the amount raised by South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a newcomer to national politics who announced that he raised $24.8 million in the second quarter. Biden joined the race three weeks after the reporting period began on April 1.

Biden outraised Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was the top raiser in the first quarter. Sanders reported raising $18 million in contributions to his presidential campaign in the second quarter and transferred another $6 million from other accounts.

Candidates have until July 15 to file fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission, but those with impressive numbers typically share their totals soon after a quarter ends. Sunday was the final day of the second quarter.

Biden posted the biggest first-day figures among the Democratic candidates, drawing $6.3 million in the first 24 hours of his launch, per his campaign.

On June 17, Biden suggested at a private fundraiser that his campaign had raised about $19.8 million. If his estimates then were true, it means that in the final 13 days of June, when he and other candidates were making an intensified push to drive up their quarterly fundraising figures, his campaign drew in less than $2 million – far less than the amount he raised on the first day of his campaign launch.

In comparison, the campaign of Sen. Kamala Harris, a standout performer in last week’s Democratic debate, said she raised $2 million in online donations in the 24 hours after the debate.

Still, Biden leads his Democratic rivals in their bid to become the party’s presidential nominee.

Biden continues to show broad support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News survey.

In an email to supporters, Biden announced Wednesday that he received 436,000 donations from 245,000 donors. The average donation was $49, the campaign said. The number of donations, donors and the average contribution are not independently verifiable through federal filings.

Biden’s campaign said he reimbursed money raised toward his general election. Counting general election figures can inflate a candidate’s quarterly fundraising numbers.

The campaign did not disclose its cash on hand at the end of the quarter.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., told Politico on Wednesday he raised $2.8 million for his presidential campaign and transferred another $700,000 from his Senate committee.

The rest of the Democratic candidates have not released their figures ahead of the federal filing deadline.

(c) 2019, The Washington Post · Michelle Ye Hee Lee  

{Matzav.com}