The Race Begins

Secondary to votes, fundraising tops off the list of priorities for any political candidate. In 2016 alone, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump collected over $800 Million (not including outside spending for/against them). With 17 announced candidates running from the left to challenge President Trump, voters can expect to see large sums of money given to different candidates for the 2020 Presidential election. Fundraising totals for the first quarter just recently released and portray an interesting landscape for what will become the 2020 election.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tops the entire field with a reported $18.2 Million. His polarizing take on different social and economic issues help him generate a buzz among fellow socialists. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) of California falls in line right behind the former with a strong $12 Million in her campaign. Sen. Harris aligns with Bernie on policy and cosponsored his Medicare-for-all Bill. Failed Senate candidate and former Representative Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke (D-TX) narrowly trails Sen. Harris with an impressive $9.4 Million.

Dark Horse?

One of the most notable fundraising numbers arises from the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Pete Buttigieg, a man with no national image or influence, raised $7 Million since his campaign announcement. Perhaps most interesting about Pete is his storming the national stage. The $7 Million may pale in comparison to those listed above, but his introduction to nationwide politics seems to be treating him well.

The most shocking number in terms of weakness stems from the campaign of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). She is a national Democrat known for her strong stance with the #MeToo movement. Kirsten, however, seems unable to make headway in the early portion of the 2020 primaries. A measly $3 Million sits in her campaign as of the latest report.

Unabashedly liberal Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), also known as “Spartacus” shows poor results, too. He fundraised a bit better than Sen. Gillibrand, bringing in $5.4 Million. Unfortunately, he trails both fake Native American Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and widely unknown Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), both of whom brought in $6 Million and $5.2 Million respectively.

Keep America Great

While all the excitement for the first half of the 2020 Presidential election may sit with the Democrats, President Donald Trump trounced all of those hoping to challenge and beat him with a whopping $30 Million. While the overall majority of the cash flow may enter the pockets of the Democrats, the President will continue to directly finance his campaign and raise more once the competition narrows.

