“Buttigiegmania” doesn’t have much of a ring to it, but it may be happening anyway:
Joe Biden's campaign announced a $21.5 million fundraising haul last quarter, falling behind Pete Buttigieg's $24.8 million.
CNN's Arlette Saenz reports on how Biden aims to regain his momentum as the other 2020 Democratic candidates gain support https://t.co/pP8XFXR1Kt pic.twitter.com/fwXsguxHFl
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 3, 2019
Former Vice President Joe Biden‘s 2020 campaign raised $21.5 million in the second quarter, his campaign announced in an email to supporters on Wednesday.
The number puts Biden behind South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, who raised $24.8 million in the second quarter, but ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who announced an $18 million haul on Tuesday. Biden, however, entered the race a little more than three weeks after the start of the fundraising quarter, meaning Buttigieg and Sanders had more time to raise money.
While Biden may have entered the race a few weeks into this fundraising quarter, he did come out of the gate bringing in a whopping $6.3 million on his first day. That kind of momentum probably should have carried him to a win in the numbers department for the quarter.
Crazy Joe the Wonder Veep has not enjoyed a smooth ride in his first two months as the Democratic frontrunner, and that probably slowed down the flow of money a bit.
These numbers are also reflective of the fact that Buttigieg was the media darling for most of the quarter. He had a rough patch when he had to face constituents back home over a police shooting, but seems to have redeemed himself with what most agree was a solid first debate performance.
The real fun will be watching how the Democratic money moves during this third quarter. Biden has been flailing, and Kamala Harris has been focusing on him since making him reel a bit in the first debate.
Elizabeth Warren has been rather steady for a couple of months, and that’s always good in a race that is a marathon.
Bernie Sanders may have the most to worry about, despite having a good second quarter. While still popular, he’s not the juggernaut he was in the last election cycle. It’s easy to shine next to a couple of wet-sock personalities like Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley. He could be in real trouble if Harris begins picking up serious steam.
Biden remains the candidate to beat for the moment, which everyone will be trying to do even harder after his first debate.
And Mayor Pete may have a difficult time holding on to that media favorite status if Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have one more strong debate.
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