Joe Biden improved his fundraising in the final quarter of 2019 with a $22.7 million haul, but he remained behind rivals Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, who raised $24.7 million and $34.5 million, respectively.
“Our online contributions have doubled since last quarter,” the former vice president said in a video posted to Twitter on Thursday. “I hope we can double them again. You are the energy.”
The October-through-December figure marks the best fundraising quarter of Biden’s campaign so far and is an improvement on Biden’s lackluster $15.2 million third-quarter total, which sparked concerns that he is a fragile front-runner unable to garner mass monetary support for his bid. The 49% increase in online donations demonstrates a conscious shift from relying on large-dollar donations at private fundraisers.
Biden’s campaign did not reveal its cash-on-hand heading into key early state nominating contests, but an internal memo to supporters stressed cost-saving measures and long-term investments.
“These numbers clearly demonstrate Donald Trump’s lies and attacks on the Vice President have only cemented and expanded his support, serving as a constant reminder to Democratic primary voters that Trump is terrified by the idea of facing Joe Biden in a general election,” Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz said in a statement on Thursday. “We’re also seeing significant support from Democrats who previously supported other candidates and are now rallying behind the candidate they believe can bring the country together and beat Donald Trump.”
Biden has raised $59.5 million total since his late April campaign launch. His average online donation is $23, while his average overall average contribution size is $41.
[Read more: ‘Unstoppable’: Trump campaign outpaces Democrats with $46M fourth-quarter haul]
I’m excited to share that we raised $22.7 million this last quarter — our biggest quarter so far this campaign! Thank you to everyone who chipped in what you could — your support means the world to me. You truly are the heart of our campaign. pic.twitter.com/L53z9YbLsX
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 2, 2020
