Donors to both Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are flocking to the Midwest this weekend for campaign donor retreats, where they will rub elbows with the candidates’ staffers and receive insider details about the campaigns’ Iowa caucus strategies.

Biden and Buttigieg are the only early-state frontrunners still vying for wealthy donors’ money in the Democratic primary — and the weekend retreats are taking place at a crucial moment for both their campaigns. Both candidates have built large benches of campaign fundraisers they’ll rely on to help raise money through the slew of expensive early-state contests.


Buttigieg’s top donors will gather for a two-day retreat in Chicago. Campaign manager Mike Schmuhl and other senior staffers including Michael Halle, Swati Mylavarapu, Marcus Switzer, Hari Sevugan and Sonal Shah will make presentations on the campaign’s strategy and policy positions, according to a person familiar with the event.