More evidence has emerged that Joe Biden enjoys significantly more grassroots support than the last Democratic presidential nominee.
In the month of May, Biden and the Democratic National Committee brought in $81 million, the largest amount of donations by any candidate so far in the 2020 race. A significant chunk of that came from small-dollar donations, with the average amount given by supporters at $30.
Those small donations to Biden compare favorably to the last time he was on a national ticket, in 2012, running, successfully, for a second term with President Barack Obama. The number of small donors to Biden, previously a 36-year Delaware senator, is more than Obama got during May 2012, or Hillary Clinton four years later. That means even as Democratic super-donors largely remain on the sidelines for now, Biden is able to build a campaign infrastructure that’s beginning to rival President Trump’s massive operation.
The month of April tells much of the same story. Although Biden raised just over half as much as he did in May, $42 million, about 37% of all his money raised came from small donations. Clinton, who constantly faced attacks that she was out of touch with the average voter, saw 18% of donations to her campaign and super PAC being under $200. Trump, whose 2016 primary run was almost entirely funded by small donations, raised $9 million out of $16 million in the month of April from donors giving less than $200. Fundraising watchdog OpenSecrets estimates that 64% of all of Trump’s campaign cash comes from small donors.
The surge in small donations marks a departure from Biden’s fundraising strategy in the primary. During that cycle, as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fueled his second White House run entirely from those donating in the double-digits, Biden focused on courting the wealthy.
That strategy led Biden to have a consistent fundraising deficit compared to Sanders, often in the tens of millions of dollars. Biden’s digital fundraising apparatus was weak compared to his former rivals, leading him to focus on closed-door fundraisers with the wealthy. The meet-and-greet cocktail party and dinner fundraisers often led to attacks from candidates such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders that he was courting the rich.
In May, Biden’s team hired a number of new staffers to beef up its digital team out of fears it was losing its edge to Trump. As the coronavirus pandemic has largely kept Biden in his home, online fundraising is more important than ever.
Despite his strong fundraising numbers from average voters since clinching the nomination, Biden is still hoping to get as many maxed-out, $2,800 donations as possible. On Monday, his campaign announced that Obama will headline a fundraiser later this month.
