CNN anchor Jake Tapper questioned whether it’s accurate to dub Joe Biden a front-runner in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Biden, the former vice president, lagged behind Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in fundraising in the final quarter of 2019.
Biden brought in $22.7 million, while Buttigieg raised $24.7 million and Sanders came in first with $34.5 million.
“Is it even right to call Joe Biden the front-runner if he’s being eclipsed in fundraising by Buttigieg and by Bernie Sanders?” Tapper asked Thursday.
“Bernie has this huge fundraising donor base, and, also, the state-by-state polls show that it’s really fluid and the voters haven’t coalesced around a Democrat yet,” he said.
Ayesha Rascoe, a White House reporter for NPR, told Tapper that Biden, 77, has remained “fairly consistent” with his base support and his name recognition has helped.
“Even though he was eclipsed by Buttigieg and Sanders, he was able to bring in a considerable amount of money, which was good for him. This was kind of a do-or-die moment for him, in a sense,” she said.
