2020 Democratic candidates reveal final third-quarter fundraising totals
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have all revealed how much their campaigns took in during the third quarter of the year, from July through September. Candidates had until October 15 to file their fundraising numbers with the Federal Election Commission.
Here's a look at the totals.
Julián Castro: $3.5 million
Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro raised $3.5 million in the third quarter, almost as much as he made in the first and second quarters combined.
He appeared on the October debate stage but is not one of the eight candidates who have so far qualified for the November 20 debate in Georgia.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $3.5 million
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $2.8 million
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised $1.3 million
Beto O'Rourke: $4.5 million
Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke raised $4.5 million in the third quarter. Although this is $1 million more than his second quarter haul, it's significantly less than the $9 million he raised in the first quarter. The average contribution was $26, according to his campaign.
He appeared on the debate stage in October but has yet to qualify for the November 20 debate in Georgia.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $4.5 million
- Average contribution was $26
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $3.6 million
- Nearly 200,000 contributions
- Almost half of donations in the fundraising period came from new donors
- Average donation was $30
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of launching his campaign
- Fundraising totaled $9.4 million total in the first quarter of the year
- Had 218,000 contributors give to his campaign
Tom Steyer: $2 million
Billionaire Tom Steyer raised only $2 million in the third quarter, a meager haul compared to the $47.6 million of his own money that he has spent in his campaign. Steyer, who has qualified for the November debate, received donations from 166,119 unique donors and had an average donation of $12, according to his campaign.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $2 million
- Received donations from over 160,000 unique donors
- Average donation of $12
Amy Klobuchar: $4.8 million
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar raised $4.8 million in the third quarter, over $1 million more than her second quarter haul. She had 105,000 donors in the third quarter, according to her campaign, and the average contribution was under $30.
Klobuchar qualified for the November debate.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $4.8 million
- 105,000 donors in the third quarter
- Average contribution was $29.78
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $3.87 million
- The average donation was just over $47
- Nearly 86% of contributions came from grassroots donors who gave under $100
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised more than $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2019
- Transferred $3.575 from other authorized committees
- Ended March with nearly $7 million cash on hand
Elizabeth Warren: $24.6 million
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has taken the lead in many polls, raised slightly less money than Sanders in the third quarter, but had a nonetheless significant haul of $24.6 million. The money came from 943,000 donations, according to the campaign. The average contribution was $26.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $24.6 million
- 943,000 donations from 509,000 individual donors
- Average contribution was $26
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $19 million in the second quarter
- More than $12 million came from donations under $200
- The average donation was $28
- 80% of people who contributed in the second quarter were donating to the campaign for the first time
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised more than $6 million in the first quarter of the year
- Transferred more than $10 million from her Senate campaign account
- Finished the first quarter with more than $11 million cash on hand
Steve Bullock: $2.3 million
Montana Governor Steve Bullock's campaign raised $2.3 million in the third quarter. The average online contribution was $24, according to his campaign.
Bullock failed to make the cut for the October debate and so far hasn't qualified for November's.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $2.3 million
- Average online contribution was $24
- Doubled the number of donors from the first quarter
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised over $2 million in the second quarter
Marianne Williamson: $3 million
Marianne Williamson raised $3 million in the third quarter, $1.5 million more than her second quarter haul. However, Williamson only has $650,000 in cash on hand, despite raising over $6 million since she launched her campaign. She has 140,000 unique donors, according to her campaign.
Williamson was missing from the October debate and has yet to qualify for the November one.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $3 million
- Around $650,000 in cash on hand
- Over 140,000 unique donors
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised more than $1.5 million
- More than $1 million of the money raised by Williamson between April 1 and June 30 came from donations totaling less than $200
- Williamson finished the fundraising quarter with nearly $550,000 cash on hand
Tulsi Gabbard: $3 million
Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard raised $3 million in the third quarter, twice as much as the second quarter.
She made the cut for October's debate but has not yet met the thresholds for November's.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $3 million
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $1.6 million
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised nearly $2 million
Joe Biden: $15.7 million
Former Vice President Joe Biden raised $15.7 million in the third quarter. Biden, who is losing his frontrunner status in polls, has raised $37.6 million since he launched his campaign.
Ninety-eight percent of all donations came from grassroots donors of less than or equal to $200, according to his campaign. Fifty-six percent of donors were new to the campaign, and the average donation was $44, according to his campaign.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $15.7 million
- 96% of donations were less than $200
- Average donation was $44
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $21.5 million after launching his campaign in April
- 97% of donations were under $200
- The average donation was $49
Michael Bennet: $2.1 million
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet raised $2.1 million in the third quarter, with 86% of contributions $25 or less, according to his campaign. Ninety-eight percent of his contributions were $100 or less.
Bennet hasn't appeared on a debate stage in months and so far hasn't qualified for November's.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $2.1 million in the third quarter
- 6% of contributions $25 or less
- 98% of contributions $100 or less
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $3.5 million since he announced his candidacy for president in early May, including $700,000 that was transferred from his Senate campaign account
- 83% of contributions were $25 or less, and 95% of the contributions were $100 or less
Andrew Yang: $9.9 million
Businessman Andrew Yang raised $9.9 million in the third quarter, a staggering amount for an outsider candidate virtually unknown to the public when he launched his campaign in 2017. Nearly 300,000 donors have contributed, according to Yang's campaign.
He has qualified for the next debate in November.
Highlights from the third quarter:
- Raised $9.9 million
- Nearly 300,000 donors
Highlights from the second quarter:
- Raised $2.8 million
- Nearly $2 million of the funds came from donations under $200
Highlights from the first quarter:
- Raised nearly $1.8 million in the first quarter of the year
- Finished March more than $1.1 million cash on hand
Kamala Harris: $11.7 million
October 1: California Senator Kamala Harris raised $11.7 million in the third quarter of 2019. She had just over $10 million in cash on hand, according to the campaign.
The average contribution was $34, while the average online contribution was $20. Harris has raised $35.5 million overall in this campaign, from more than 850,000 individual contributions, according to her campaign.
She will appear on the debate stage in November.
Third quarter highlights:
- Raised $11.7 million
- Average contribution was $34, and the average online contribution was $20
- Harris has received more than 850,000 contributions since the beginning of her campaign
Second quarter highlights:
- Raised $12 million in the second quarters
- Donations from 279,000 people, including almost 150,000 new donors
- Harris' average contribution was $39, and the average online contribution was just $24
- Over $7 million was brought in through the campaign's digital fundraising program
First quarter highlights:
- Raised over $12 million, the second-highest number of the first quarter
- 98% of contributions under $100
- More than $6 million through its digital program
- More than $1 million in final week of March
- 11,000 individual contributions from educators
Cory Booker: $6 million
After a last-minute push to raise $1.7 million before September 30, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker's campaign reported raising over $6 million in the third quarter. The 10-day push raised over $2.1 million from more than 46,000 donations, according to the campaign.
The campaign did not provide more details about the average contribution, or how many donors in total contributed to the campaign.
He already made the cut for the November debate.
Third quarter highlights:
- Raised over $6 million in the third quarter, a 30% increase from the second quarter totals
- Raised over $2.1 million from 46,000 donors in final 10 days of the quarter
Second quarter highlights:
- Raised $4.5 million and ended the fundraising period with $5.4 million cash on hand
- Added 72,000 new donors in the second quarter of the year
- 88% of donors were first-time donors in the period
- The average online donation was just over $15
First quarter highlights:
- Raised over $5 million in the first quarter of 2019
- 82% of those donors had never donated to his campaign before
Bernie Sanders: $25.3 million
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced his campaign raised $25.3 million in the third quarter, the most of any 2020 Democratic presidential candidate in a quarter to date. According to the campaign, September was its single best month of fundraising in the 2020 election cycle thus far.
The cash raised in the third quarter comes from 1.4 million donations. The average donation was $18.07. His campaign says it did transfer $2.6 million in the third quarter, but that is not included in the $25 million total.
According to the campaign, "teacher" was the most common occupation listed for a person donating to Sanders in the third quarter. The three most common employers were Starbucks, Amazon and Walmart.
Since his campaign launched in February, Sanders has raised $61.5 million from a total of 3.3 million individual donations.
Third quarter highlights:
- Raised $25.3 million
- 1.4 million donations
- Average donation of $18.07
Second quarter highlights:
- Raised $24 million in the second quarter, although $6 million was transferred from previous accounts
- 99% of donations were $100 or less
- 45% of donors were 39 years old or younger
First quarter highlights:
- Raised $18.2 million, the most of any candidate in the first quarter
- Around 900,000 individual donations
- 99.5% of donations to Sanders' campaign were $100 or less
- Average donation was $20
-- Cara Korte contributed reporting
Pete Buttigieg: $19.1 million
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg raised $19.1 million in the third quarter of 2019, a lower amount than his second quarter haul of $24.8 million, but still a significant haul that demonstrates his status as one of the top tier candidates in terms of fundraising.
According to the campaign, more than 580,000 unique donors gave to the campaign, including 182,000 new donors. The average donation was $32.
He has qualified for the November debate.
Third quarter highlights:
- Raised $19.1 million
- 182,000 new donors
- Average donation of $32
Second quarter highlights:
- Raised $24.8 million, more than tripling his fundraising from the first quarter of the year
- 294,000 total donors
- Average contribution was $47.42
First quarter highlights:
- Raised over $7 million, the fourth-highest number of the first quarter
- 158,550 total donors
- Average donation totaled $36.35
- 64% of donations came in through contributions of under $200
-- Jack Turman contributed reporting