Warren, Sanders Top Third-Quarter Fundraising, Biden Comes in Fourth in Money Haul

WASHINGTON  — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., raised $24.6 million over the past three months, relying largely on a massive small donor operation.

The senator’s haul, announced on Friday, is just less than the $25.3 million her chief liberal rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, posted during the third quarter. 

“This means our grassroots movement is in an incredible position — to double down on our investments in grassroots organizing, to keep getting Elizabeth’s plans for big, structural change in front of more caucus-goers and voters, and to bring more people into this fight,” Warren’s campaign said in a statement.

The White House hopefuls who have relied on more traditional approach to fundraising are currently lagging behind in the money stakes. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday he raised $15.2 million during the third quarter. California Sen. Kamala Harris reported $11.6 million during the same period. Pete Buttigieg, who has combined small donors with traditional fundraisers, raised $19.1 million.

Biden’s campaign said in a statement that the $15.2 million has “put the campaign in a strong position as we enter the fall” and that it had bought $6 million in digital and television ads in early-primary states in addition to hiring 200 staffers at dozens of field offices.

But at a high-dollar fundraiser in Palo Alto, Calif., on Thursday afternoon, Biden attributed the sum to launching his campaign in April, after many of his competitors.

“We haven’t raised what a lot of people have,” Biden told donors at a Greek restaurant. “We got started way later than everybody else.” 

Third-quarter figures have to be reported to the FEC by Oct. 15. 

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey raised more than $7.5 million over the last three months, with a third of that coming in the past 10 days after he warned he would have to drop out of the Democratic presidential race if he didn’t take in more cash by Monday’s fundraising deadline.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee reportedly raised $125 million in the third quarter of the year — a presidential fundraising record.

Party officials said the committee and Trump campaign raked in an additional $13 million haul within 36 hours of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry.