Bernie Sanders raised $33.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, his campaign said Saturday.
The number falls just below front-runner and fundraising juggernaut Hillary Clinton, who previously announced a $37 million haul for the fourth quarter.
With the fourth quarter totals, however, Sanders has recorded 2,513,665 individuals donations to date, a campaign finance record.
“What we are showing is that we can run a strong, national campaign without a super PAC and without depending on millionaires and billionaires for their support. We are making history and we are proud of it,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said Saturday.
The fundraising haul suggests that Sanders, though he has little hope to defeating Clinton and winning the Democratic nomination, will have the money to remain the Democratic primary contest for months. That may allow him to push Clinton leftward and complicate her plans to pivot toward the general election fight.
Most Sanders donors are giving well below the legal limit, just over $30 on average, and thus are eligible to give again. Many of Clinton’s and other campaigns’ donors are legally “maxed out” and barred from further contributions to the official campaign’s they support.
