Hillary Clinton raised about $4.4 million for the Democratic National Committee and state parties through the Hillary Victory Fund. | AP Photo Clinton raises $30 million in February

Hillary Clinton raised $30 million in contributions last month, nearly doubling her monthly fundraising haul from January -- but still trailing behind Bernie Sanders’ $42 million February windfall.

Clinton’s campaign ended the month of February with about $31 million in cash on hand. While Clinton spent about $4 million more than she raised in February, that’s not an unusual practice during one of the busiest months of the primary campaign, when all four early nominating states go to the polls. And Clinton’s burn rate was lower in February than it was in January, when she raised $15 million and spent $20 million.


Sanders on Sunday afternoon had not yet filed his monthly report with the Federal Election Commission, which outlines how much he is spending. But in January, Sanders outspent Clinton by $15 million and her operatives were expecting his financial disclosures to show a high burn rate for a campaign that played organizing catch-up by outspending Clinton in states like Nevada on television and radio ad buys.

Clinton also slightly increased the share of her campaign cash that came from small donors in February, a critical base of contributors who can be tapped and tapped again for support -- and a metric where Sanders has vastly outperformed her.

In February, Clinton raised 24 percent of her cash from donors who gave $200 or less, while in January, about 18 percent of her haul came from small donors. Sanders is still besting her in that category -- he had raised an eye-popping 70 percent of his cash from small donors through the end of January, giving him a sustainable revenue stream that his campaign has credited for allowing him to stay in the race and keep fighting even as Clinton’s piles up a delegate lead of over 300.

“In the old narrative, you didn’t win Nevada and the campaign had to come to an end,” Sanders senior strategist Tad Devine told POLITICO last month. “The bundlers didn’t give you money anymore. The television ads would come down, staffers would be fired and the campaign would come to an end.”

“We don’t have bundlers,” he added. “The people who are supporting us are still supporting us. That’s what’s different here. We designed a fundraising mechanism that would not compete with our message.”

Clinton's campaign spent $17.4 million in media buys, mostly on television and radio spots, according to the financial report. It also spent $2.5 million on direct mail and $354,000 on polling last month.

In announcing its fundraising numbers, Clinton’s campaign touted the growing strength of its grassroots support. The campaign said more than 50 percent of donations in February came from online donations -- and that Clinton raised about $10.5 million in February from individuals who gave $200 or less. More than 60 percent of her 1 million individual contributors, the campaign said, came from women.

“Thanks to the 1 million people who have now contributed to our campaign and the more than 8.6 million people who have supported Hillary Clinton with their votes, we have the resources we need to continue to run a strong campaign all across the country and a nearly insurmountable pledged delegate lead,” campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.

In addition, Clinton raised about $4.4 million for the Democratic National Committee and state parties through the Hillary Victory Fund.

Clinton’s campaign payroll has been growing and reflects the new realities of the campaign. Chelsea Clinton’s spokeswoman, Erika Gudmundson, for instance, is now on the campaign payroll. Previously, she had worked under the Clinton Foundation’s umbrella. The campaign's payroll has grown to 789 in February.

The biggest names to donate to Clinton’s campaign this cycle were actor Will Ferrell, who had previously supported Sanders but campaigned for Clinton in Nevada last month. He made the maximum donation of $2,700. Actress Kyra Sedgwick and the writer John Grisham also maxed out to the campaign.