Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) raised $9.4 million in his first 18 days in the presidential campaign, an impressive sum but a fundraising rate that may be hard to sustain going forward.
That haul puts O’Rourke in the top tier of presidential campaign fundraising, and on a per-day basis puts him ahead of the rest of the field, at over a half-million dollars a day. But it includes almost $6 million in O’Rourke’s first day as a candidate, generally a top fundraising day for campaigns and one that can be hard to recreate later. O’Rourke’s campaign didn’t release how many individual donors made contributions.
But O’Rourke’s average $48 donation means he can keep coming back to his huge network of online supporters time and again — the same method that he used to set Senate fundraising records in his 2018 bid against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“Not only is this a sign of our grassroots strength during the first two weeks of our campaign but it is a sign of what’s possible when you put your full trust in the people of this country,” O’Rourke said in a statement.
O’Rourke’s total fundraising haul puts him currently behind only Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), who raised $18.2 million and $12 million respectively for the race. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) raised $7 million since he entered the race, a strong showing for a candidate who began the campaign with little name recognition. The other candidates haven’t put their first-quarter fundraising toplines out yet, a sign that they’re not likely to impress.
O’Rourke’s campaign has averaged $522,000 a day, Sanders’ has averaged $444,000 a day, Harris averaged $171,000 a day, and Buttigieg averaged $103,000 a day.
