See which 2020 Democrats are leading the money race heading into Iowa
Led by two billionaires — former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund manager Tom Steyer — the Democratic presidential candidates spent more than half a billion dollars in the final three months of 2019, according to new campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission Friday night.
Bloomberg plowed more than $200 million of his own money into his 2020 campaign, compared to $155 million for Steyer. Bloomberg is not competing in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, while Steyer is not expecting to be a leading contender in the state that kicks of the nominating process. The top polling candidate nationally, former Vice President Joe Biden, brought in just over $23 million, ranking him fifth among candidates in fundraising for the quarter.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had the most cash on hand of any of current candidates, with more than $18 million in the bank at the end of 2019. He was followed by former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, at $14.5 million, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, at $13.7 million. Biden had just under $9 million in the bank heading into 2020, half of Sanders’ stash.
The cash-on-hand totals pale in comparison to top Democratic candidates in recent election cycles. Heading into 2016, Sanders had more than $30 million in the bank, while the eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton, had more than $40 million. She had even more heading into the bank in 2008, with more than $46 million socked away, in inflation-adjusted dollars. The ultimate nominee, Barack Obama, had more than $22 million in the bank heading into 2008.
This story was originally published February 1, 2020 at 12:38 AM.
