Bernie Sanders sets the bar with $18.2 million fundraising haul

Sen. Bernard Sanders announced Tuesday he’s raised $18 million in the first campaign quarter this year, setting a new bar for his rivals in the 2020 Democratic presidential field.

He topped Sen. Kamala Harris’ fundraising total by $6 million, and his campaign said it received contributions from more than 525,000 donors, or more than double Ms. Harris’ own impressive numbers.

That broad base of support leaves the Vermont senator and 2016 Democratic runner-up well positioned for his new bid amid a more crowded field, analysts said.

“Clearly Bernie met the expectations that he would be a strong fundraiser and in all likelihood he is going to be the leader in the first quarter of fundraising, which shows he continues to hold the support of his wing of the party despite the large number of candidates who are competing for the same political support,” said Anthony Corrado, professor of government at Colby College who specializes in campaign finance.

The Sanders camp said it’s raising money fast enough that it won’t face the same pressures as 2016, when the campaign had to make difficult spending decisions because of lack of resources.

“As well as we did in 2016, we are well ahead of where we were in that race in terms of setting up a campaign that is geared to win,” Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser, told reporters in a conference call.

With at least 13 states scheduled to hold their primaries on Super Tuesday, Mr. Weaver said some of Mr. Sanders’ more cash-strapped rivals will have a tougher time figuring out where to invest.

“The amount of resources a campaign is going to need at the front end of this campaign is very different than what it was like in 2016,” he said.

The first fundraising quarter closed Sunday.

Reports aren’t due to the Federal Election Commission until the middle of this month, but some campaigns have been happy to share their reports, as they look to separate themselves from the pack and establish themselves as a safe bet for investors.

South Bend, Indiana, mayor Peter Buttigieg announced his $7 million total Monday morning, just after the fundraising quarter ended. He claimed 158,000 donations, 64 percent of them small-dollar contributions of less than $200.

“This is way ahead of what our initial goals were, and it is definitely ahead of what people thought we would be able to do, especially when you consider that about two months ago when we launched this exploratory committee most people have never heard of me,” Mr. Buttigieg said in an online breakdown of his report.

Ms. Harris’ $12 million total came from 218,000 donors, and she said 98 percent came as $100 or less.

“That’s huge,” Ms. Harris said in a fundraising email Tuesday. “The response to our campaign has been incredible. Together, we set out to build a campaign of, by, and for the people — and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Others have yet to share their first fundraising reports, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who The New York Times reported this week lost her financial director after he resigned over her decision to forgo big-money fundraisers and private events with wealthy donors.

In an email to supporters, Warren campaign manager Roger Lau said they felt they met their target — though he didn’t say what it was.

“We’re still crunching all the numbers, but we can already tell you that we hit our fundraising goal for Sunday’s deadline,” he wrote.

Mr. Corrado said people are eager to see what Ms. Warren’s total will be.

“In some ways the underdog story has been taken by Buttigieg, who is definitely the surprise on the upside, so the real question is now who is going to be the surprise on the downside,” he said. “From my perspective, what we are hearing out of the Warren campaign does not suggest they are experiencing strong fundraising.”