Joe Biden’s campaign sent out a distressed sounding fundraising pitch with just two words in the subject: Bernie Sanders.
The former vice president campaign’s Friday email aimed to raise alarm about the Vermont senator’s fundraising. Biden’s team claims Sanders, a Democrat socialist and frequent critic of the front-runner from the Left, has raised $47.5 million so far in 2019.
“Bernie Sanders just announced he’s raised a staggering $47.5 million in 2019. With that much money, ANYTHING could happen in this race,” the email reads.
So [name], Joe Biden needs your help at this critical moment. Our mid-month deadline is only 24 hours away, and we are still 12,100 donations short of our goal. We can’t fall short.”
[Also read: Sanders leads Biden in New Hampshire poll]
It was not immediately clear how Biden’s team came up with the $47.5 million figure. In the first quarter of 2019, Sanders raised $18.2 million and another $18 million in the second. His total cash on hand as of July was roughly $30 million.
Fundraising has long been a concern for Biden since he announced his third White House run in April. His campaign has raised $21.5 million as of July.
That’s come largely from courting wealthy donors at the expense of more traditional retail campaigning.
An analysis by the Washington Examiner in July found, the former vice president has scheduled roughly half as many campaign stops as his fellow Democratic rivals.
