CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Bernie Sanders’ received over $20 million from online contributions in January, making this their most lucrative month of the campaign and putting the Vermont senator in a competitive position with Hillary Clinton.
Encouraged by multiple fundraising emails asking supporters to chip in small dollar amounts, 777,000 individuals contributed to the campaign during the first month of 2016 pushing the candidate’s total number of donations to over 3.25 million. The average donation was $27 each, according to the campaign.
“The numbers we’ve seen since Jan. 1 put our campaign on pace to beat Secretary Clinton’s goal of $50 million in the first quarter of 2016,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “Working Americans chipping in a few dollars each month are not only challenging but beating the greatest fundraising machine ever assembled.”
Sanders’ swell in grassroots donations came as his support grew in both Iowa and New Hampshire. According to a Des Moines Register poll released Saturday, Sanders is within three points of Clinton (45 percent-42 percent) and other polls show him leading her in New Hampshire.
Sanders has bragged about not having a super political action committee or holding high-dollar fundraisers. The Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action recently reported to have $45 million on hand.
During the fourth quarter of 2015 the Sanders campaign raised nearly $33.6 million, with 70 percent of donations being $200 or less and just 1.3 percent of donations the maximum of $2,700. The campaign will file its full year-end Federal Elections Commission report later Sunday.
