Fredreka Schouten

USA TODAY

This post has been updated.

They keep showing Bernie the money.

Despite his recent losses in Nevada and South Carolina, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders remains a fundraising powerhouse, raising $40 million and counting in February for his bid for the Democratic Party's nomination.

Sanders had set a goal of collecting $40 million for the month before the fundraising deadline ended Monday. That's nearly two times the $21 million the Vermont senator raised in January.

He started his last-minute fundraising drive Monday morning, having already collected $36 million. By 7:58 p.m. Monday night, he had raised $40.7 million — meaning donors had showered him with more than $4 million in a single day.

Sanders quickly turned to a new goal: raising $45 million before midnight, according to a target posted on his website. (You can track Sanders' progress on this page .)

Sanders also released a national television ad Monday in which he outlined why he believes "corrupt politics" and political contributions from the wealthy contribute to a "rigged economy."

Sanders campaign officials have not disclosed how much his campaign spent in February, so it's hard to know how much money he still has available to battle rival Hillary Clinton beyond the Super Tuesday states.The latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission showed Clinton with more than twice the cash reserves of Sanders at the end of January.

Clinton also is trying to collect more cash before the books close on February fundraising. But her pitches Monday night focused on GOP front-runner Donald Trump rather than Sanders. In an email to supporters, the campaign's deputy communications director Christina Reynolds warned Trump could end Super Tuesday with a "prohibitive delegate lead."

"You have the power to prevent that hothead from ever becoming our president," she said, before asking for a contribution.