Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg captured early enthusiasm by recruiting a cadre of gay male donors who are raising big money for his campaign. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 2020 elections Rookie bundlers power Buttigieg fundraising surge Ninety-two people and couples have raised over $25,000 each for Buttigieg, and only a third of them were big Clinton or Obama bundlers.

Pete Buttigieg is drawing new blood into the world of big-league presidential fundraisers.

Buttigieg’s campaign has amassed 94 people and couples who have already raised more than $25,000 for him in the race, according to a list of his top bundlers obtained by POLITICO. But roughly two-thirds of those donors were not among the major fundraisers for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton during recent election cycles, according to a POLITICO analysis — though in many cases they are well-connected people in their own right.


Buttigieg’s roster of top bundlers, known inside the campaign as his “investor’s circle,” includes well-known hedge fund manager Orin Kramer and Esprit co-founder Susie Tompkins Buell — each of whom has raised upward of $25,000 for his campaign. The rainmakers were instrumental in making Buttigieg the biggest fundraiser in the Democratic presidential field this spring, as he brought in $24.8 million in the second quarter of the year.

And because Buttigieg is largely drawing from outside the ranks of traditional Democratic bundlers, the group’s loyalty could help the South Bend, Ind., mayor raise multiples more over the course of that campaign — helping him hire field staff, cut television ads and, they hope, break into the top of the polls at just the right time.

“It’s impressive that all of these people have raised $25,000,” said Connor Farrell, an unaligned Democratic fundraiser. The numbers of both big-dollar fundraisers and small-dollar donors to Buttigieg’s campaign at this stage in the race are signs that his next fundraising quarter is going to be “a really good one,” Farrell said.

Though Buttigieg’s fundraising has surged, he has stagnated in the polls in recent weeks, generally running behind the top four of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. But fundraisers for Buttigieg’s campaign are unfailingly enthusiastic, confident at their work is providing the fuel for Buttigieg to make a big leap in the final weeks and months before the Iowa caucuses. They praise the campaign for its constant hustle and frequent communication with donors, which have built a sense of community and pride among the donors.

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“There is a tremendous cooperative spirit about being helpful to each other” among Buttigieg bundlers, said Susan Turnbull, a former vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and a donor to the campaign. “People want to support each other and make everyone successful.”

The gung-ho atmosphere, which would be common during many presidential election cycles, contrasts with other campaigns in the 2020 election. This year, many candidates — eager to make their cases to small-dollar donors — made little outreach to big donors and fundraisers at the start of the year and waited to start bundler programs like Buttigieg’s. Some leading candidates, including Biden and Harris, do more outreach to campaign bundlers now. Warren, who in past years has attended fundraisers and events hosted by some of the Democratic Party’s biggest fundraising names, this year swore off private fundraisers all-together.

Meanwhile, Buttigieg has captured early enthusiasm for his historic campaign by recruiting a cadre of gay male donors who are raising big money for his campaign.

Many are younger and less well-known — but still well-connected — LGBTQ donors who have been tapping their networks for Buttigieg’s campaign. The group includes Terrence Meck, co-founder of the nonprofit The Palette Fund; Alex Slater, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Clyde Group; and Los Angeles consulting firm President Greg Propper. A few well-known fundraisers such as film producer Bruce Cohen and his partner Gabe Catone are also among Buttigieg’s $25,000 bundlers.

Several of the biggest names in LGBTQ political giving are not involved with the campaign at a significant level. People like software entrepreneur Tim Gill and philanthropist David Bohnett, who helped propel the same-sex marriage movement — stayed quiet during the early months of the presidential race while Buttigieg’s historic run as a gay man drew headlines.

Instead, Gill and Bohnett have cut checks to Biden, whose 2012 statement in favor of same-sex marriage won him enduring fans in the LGBTQ community.

As he began building name recognition in the presidential race, Buttigieg worked overtime to build relationships with donors and gain their help in fundraising.

“These numbers represent a strong, growing movement; they show that people across our country believe in Pete’s message of generational change,” said the information circulated to donors about the bundling program.

Other in-demand bundlers for Buttigieg’s campaign include Nicole Avant, an early fundraiser for Obama and a former ambassador to the Bahamas; Rep. Don Beyer; and Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield Farm yogurt and his wife, Meg. The list also includes several members of the Twin Cities’ billionaire Pohlad family, who made their money in finance and business in the Midwest.

But in order to stay in the top tier of presidential contenders, and the race overall, Buttigieg will also have to continue building support in early primary states and across the country. In recent weeks, he has started using the massive fundraising haul from the second quarter of the year to hire dozens of staff members in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where until now he has had little on-the-ground presence aside from media. Buttigieg has also added well-known Democratic operatives to his senior staff, including Michael Halle, who recently joined the campaign as a senior adviser.

Buttigieg’s bundlers have said the campaign is also keeping up its ferocious fundraising.

“He continues to have a crazy pace of fundraisers all over the country,” said Tod Sedgwick, former ambassador to the Slovakia and a Buttigieg bundler. “The fundraising is maintaining at a high level. I don’t think there’s any slack.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Rep. Don Beyer's current position.