In a subtle sign that the gloves are coming off, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Julián Castro used the threat posed by Joe Biden’s entry into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary Thursday as a foil for new fundraising appeals.
“Vice President Biden is officially running. Team — there is no doubt his decision could shake up the race,” Booker, a New Jersey senator, wrote in an email. “The truth is this poses a real challenge for an underdog campaign like ours.”
The former vice president consistently leads Democratic presidential primary polls and has near-universal name recognition among Democratic voters, according to Morning Consult.
Targeting Biden to prompt donations represents an attack, even if indirect, on the front-runner and a rare example of Democratic presidential hopefuls targeting each other instead of President Trump
With Biden’s official campaign announcement Thursday, his competitors appear to be feeling the heat, targeting his candidacy in bids for campaign cash.
“We aren’t starting with the same level of name recognition as Joe Biden. But we can win by making sure every voter is heard and no one is left behind or taken for granted,” O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, said in an email.
[Also read: AOC group condemns ‘old guard’ Joe Biden as candidate of ‘no we can’t’]
Fundraising pushes from Castro and Harris welcomed Biden into the race. “The more, the merrier!” Harris, a California senator, wrote.
Harris noted, though, that Biden’s candidacy adds a layer of complexity to the race.
“With a primary field this crowded, it’s on us to find new ways to cut through the noise and reach more voters. It’s going to take a lot of resources,” Harris said.
Castro, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Barack Obama, stressed the importance of meeting the Democratic National Committee threshold to qualify for the presidential primary debate.
“I didn’t grow up a frontrunner. And I know this country wasn’t built by frontrunners either,” Castro said. “I want to share my story on that debate stage, because it’s the story of so many families like yours — and you deserve a voice up there speaking for you.”
The DNC in February announced two paths for candidates to qualify for the first two debates scheduled for the end of June: either by raising money from at least 65,000 donors with at least 200 donors in at least 20 different states, or by receiving at least 1% support in three DNC-approved presidential primary polls. Qualification thresholds could change for later debates.
In the first quarter of 2019, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., led the field in campaign fundraising with $18.2 million. Over the same period, Harris raised $12 million, O’Rourke raised $9.2 million, Booker raised $5 million, and Castro raised $1.1 million.
Comcast executive David Cohen is hosting a high-dollar fundraiser for Biden in Philadelphia on Thursday.
