(The Week)
Pete Buttigieg apparently didn't think his first quarter haul was impressive enough.
Over the first three months of 2019, the South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 Democrat pulled in $7 million in fundraising dollars. But in the next month, he managed to double his total with another $7 million in April alone, Politico reports.
Buttigieg's first quarter intake was already intimidating, seeing as it came from a pretty unknown candidate whose only political experience comes from leading Indiana's fourth largest city. It was a tiny fraction of what Beto O'Rourke raised during that same time — the Texas Democrat brought in $7.1 million in his first 24 hours in the race. Still, the seemingly high-profile Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) only took in $6 million during the first quarter, and she'd been in the race since December.
The second quarter of 2019's fundraising hasn't wrapped yet, but Buttigieg decided to spill things early. He told top donors in a conference that he'd brought in $7 million in April, and "hopes to do it again next month by announcing a top-tier second quarter haul that at least doubles his last campaign finance report," Politico writes.
A $21 million total would still likely put Buttigieg behind fundraising juggernaut Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who reported making $18.2 million in the first quarter. And seeing as that attention-grabbing month came amid a moment of stardom for Buttigieg, it's unclear if he can make that momentum last.
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