“A short while ago, we flew past our goal of one million online contributions to our campaign,” campaign manager Jeff Weaver announced in an email to supporters Wednesday afternoon. “Let’s. Keep. Going.”
Sanders’ staffers put the candidate’s fundraising haul at $26 million Thursday, after initially reporting the amount at $24 million. A last-minute email push late Wednesday by Sanders’ team resulted in a flurry of last-minute donations, the campaign said.
More than 650,000 people have contributed, according to the campaign. The average online donation for the past quarter was about $30, and 99 percent of the donations came in at less than $100, according to the campaign.
Sanders’ haul reflects the growing interest in the Vermont senator, who leads Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in polls from Iowa and New Hampshire.
“What it tells us is that Bernie has financial staying power,” Weaver said in a statement. “We have the financial wherewithal that will allow for a major campaign through Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and beyond in state-by-state, delegate-by-delegate contests for the Democratic Party nomination.”
Sanders’ rapid growth in popularity and fundraising capability has now outpaced that of then-Sen. Barack Obama’s first White House run. Obama did not amass 600,000 donations until the end of January 2008, after the South Carolina primary, according to Michael Briggs, a Sanders’ campaign spokesman.
David Axelrod, who served as Obama’s chief campaign strategist, hailed Sanders’ impressive totals on Twitter, calling the fundraising total “remarkable.”
Sanders fundraising is remarkable. The # to keep an eye on now is cash on hand. Very possible he has more than HRC. https://t.co/4UxdsLmMda
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) October 1, 2015
Sander’s first election report, filed with the Federal Election Commission in July, saw $15.2 million come into his campaign coffers. The bulk of those donations, around $10.5 million, were composed of donations under $200, according to the campaign. In total, Sanders has brought in about $40 million since announcing his candidacy this year.
Clinton’s camp raised $28 million in the past quarter, according to a tweet from a spokesperson Thursday.
We’re still counting, but @HillaryClinton has more than $32m on hand after raising a non-incumbent record $28m+ in Q3
— Josh Schwerin (@JoshSchwerin) October 1, 2015
