Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders drew in more than $33 million during the fourth quarter of 2015 in his bid to win the Democratic party's nomination, his campaign said Saturday, just short of the $37 million that front-runner Hillary Clinton raised in the same three-month period. Sanders raised $73 million for the full year, while Clinton raised $112, and both campaigns say that they shattered their goals with those totals, according to The Washington Post.
“This people-powered campaign is revolutionizing American politics,” Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, said in a statement, according to CBS News. “What we are showing is that we can run a strong, national campaign without a super PAC and without depending on millionaires and billionaires for their support. We are making history and we are proud of it.”
Most of Sanders' fundraising came through online donations from 2.5 million people during 2015, which surpassed President Barack Obama's record number of 2.2 million donations in 2011, the Associated Press reported. The average donation was $27, which will allow the campaign to ask contributors to donate again. Only a few hundred gave the $2,700 maximum.
“Bernie is the only candidate generating the kind of broad-based enthusiasm and excitement that Democrats must have in order to raise funds for a general election campaign and keep the White House and make gains in Congress,” said Weaver.
Despite raising nearly $40 million more than Sanders, Clinton only has $10 million more in cash on hand at the end of 2015. The Sanders campaign has $28 million in reserves, which should be enough to mount a challenge to Clinton in the remainder of the primary season.
The Sanders campaign increased its fundraising in each quarter of 2015. It reported $15.2 million raised in the second quarter and $26.2 million in the third, according to The Hill.
Averages of national polls at RealClear Politics show that Clinton leads at 53.8 percent, and Sanders and Martin O'Malley trail at 31.2 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively.
