Fredreka Schouten

USA TODAY

With the Iowa caucuses a day away, Bernie Sanders' campaign announced Sunday that it had raised $20 million this month — an enormous haul as the Vermont senator seeks to demonstrate he's prepared for a protracted battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Campaign aides say more than 770,000 individual contributions poured in over the course of January, pushing the total number of Sanders' donations past the 3.2 million mark, a milestone not seen before at this stage in presidential campaigns. Sanders' campaign said almost none of its donors had hit the $2,700 cap on what they could donate for the primary elections, allowing these donors to replenish his fundraising accounts in the months ahead.

The January total means Sanders' fundraising pace has increased dramatically from the last three months of last year when he raised nearly $33.6 million to Clinton's $37 million.

Clinton has not released January fundraising totals. But she has worked aggressively to raise campaign dollars this month at fundraising events across the country as she seeks to collect about $50 million during the first three months of the year.



Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver said the January fundraising pace puts them on target to beat Clinton's goal. “Working Americans chipping in a few dollars each month are not only challenging but beating the greatest fundraising machine ever assembled," he said in a statement.

Heading into the caucuses, Clinton has a small edge over Sanders in recent polls.

Clinton holds on to small lead over Sanders