Presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand saw a dip in second-quarter fundraising while candidates Julián Castro and Jay Inslee saw a bump in donations over the period, but all of their hauls are far behind those of top-tier contenders.
Castro, who was housing secretary under President Barack Obama, brought in $2.8 million in the second quarter of 2018, an improvement from the $1.1 million he raised from his mid-January campaign launch through March. The campaign reported $1.1 million in cash on hand.
Castro saw a bump in fundraising after his breakout performance during the first round of Democratic presidential primary debates at the end of July. About 40% of Castro’s second quarter haul came in the days following Castro’s June 26 primary debate appearance before the June 30 deadline, his campaign said Monday.
“I’ve said from the very beginning that this campaign is getting stronger and stronger and stronger,” Castro told reporters on Monday while discussing the fundraising numbers.
New York Sen. Gillibrand brought in $2.3 million from April through July, her campaign said Monday, a decline in fundraising compared to the $3 million she raised in the first quarter of the year. She retains $8.2 million in cash on hand due in part to $9.6 million she transferred from her Senate campaign committee in the first quarter.
Gillibrand’s campaign added that over 95% of contributions were under $50, and that she is “on pace to hit the 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the fall debates.”
Inslee, the governor of Washington, announced raising over $3 million in the second quarter, up from nearly $2.3 million in the first quarter of the year. His campaign said that he has about 85,000 donors and reported $1.2 million in cash on hand.
Castro announced reaching the 130,000 donor threshold on July 8, but all three candidates have yet to pass the polling threshold to participate in the September debates: 2% or more support in at least four qualifying polls.
The candidates lag far behind South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who raised nearly $24.8 million in the second quarter, the most of any presidential candidate. Former Vice President Joe Biden brought in $21.5 million since his late April campaign launch, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren raised $19.1 million in the second quarter.
Inslee, Castro, and Gillibrand also appear to be behind midtier candidates who have yet to announce their second-quarter fundraising hauls. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey raised $5 million in the first quarter, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota raised $5.2 million.
Other candidates reported lackluster fundraising hauls, Federal Election Commission reports filed Monday showed.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper raised $1.1 million in the second quarter and ended with $1.3 million in cash on hand, down from a $2 million haul in the first quarter. He had about $836,000 in cash on hand.
Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, a multimillionaire who was a successful businessman before joining politics, reported raising about $284,000 during the period. But Delaney gave or guaranteed loans to his campaign of $7.75 million, bringing Delaney’s total personal loans to his presidential campaign to over $24 million. He had nearly $11.2 million in cash on hand.
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan raised less than $900,000 since his April 4 campaign launch and ended the period with about $335,000 in cash on hand.
