Hillary Clinton’s Massive Money-Raising Machine Gives Her A Big Advantage Over Donald Trump In Presidential Race
Hillary Clinton is raking in serious cash for her campaign funds, but the question remains as to whether that will propel her to the White House.
Recent reports from the Federal Election Commission revealed that the former Secretary of State has a “dominant financial lead” over Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. As of the April filing, the leading Democratic presidential nominee raised almost the same amount as rival Bernie Sanders. Both have accumulated around $26 million each.
However, their spending is another story. Per records, the senator from Vermont is spending heavily with only $5.8 million left at the end of the month. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has managed to be frugal, as her campaign still has around $30 million.
Where and how Hillary Clinton’s Super PAC is spending its money pic.twitter.com/T27fmMSfAM
— News This Second (@NewsThisSecond) May 17, 2016
On the Republican side, Donald Trump is lagging behind in finances. The billionaire businessman was self-funding his campaign, claiming he does not want to be beholden to donors. So far, his $59.4 million funds are dwarfed by the former First Lady’s almost $300 million.
Donald Trump’s breathtaking flip-flop on “self funding” https://t.co/c6f1Op99M5 pic.twitter.com/BEsLMPyDx2
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) May 25, 2016
With the Election Day just a few months away, Donald Trump is scrambling to “build a campaign infrastructure” and create “financial reserves.” After becoming the presumptive presidential nominee, he assembled a campaign organization. He is now looking towards big funders that he once rejected.
Just last week, his campaign, along with the Republican National Committee, launched a joint fundraising venture that can raise around “$449,400 from a single individual.”
Donald Trump and the RNC announce a joint fundraising deal https://t.co/peWbu5tjR4 via @ericbradner pic.twitter.com/MRND7lzbmL
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 18, 2016
Meanwhile, the camp of Hillary Clinton thanked supporters for the financial support they have been getting.
“Thanks to the support of more than 1.2 million people, we are in strong financial shape as we head into the final primary contests and prepare for the general election,” said her campaign manager Robby Mook.
“This will enable us to continue investing in people who will mobilize millions of voters and help Democrats running up and down the ballot.”
@HillaryClinton high fives campaign manager Robby Mook before taking the stage last night. #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/GRxUzm0s0Y
— Barbara Kinney (@barb_kinney) March 17, 2016
The financial odds seem to be looking at Hillary Clinton with favor. As analyst Greg Valliere puts it, “the Clintons run a money-raising machine.”
According to him, the former Secretary of State will have more money, which will be a big advantage to them. He also said that Donald Trump may not raise as much, considering that “the biggest Republican fundraisers are lukewarm” to him. Thus, they may not participate in the upcoming elections.
While efforts are in place to raise funds for the real estate mogul, many funders have also expressed that they would not be backing the GOP presumptive presidential nominee. Some have also raised $400 million for Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz already.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, still has donors to tap. It has been speculated that, once Bernie Sanders is out of the race, these funders will soon send their donations to the former First Lady.
Hillary Clinton raises campaign funds in Austin https://t.co/EhjzvirHCn pic.twitter.com/8fKv0HkJZ6
— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) May 21, 2016
Nevertheless, Donald Trump’s self-promotion did not go unnoticed. The billionaire has gotten free media coverage so far, which could have cost billions in airtime, Rick Newman wrote for Yahoo.
Meanwhile, Vox noted the importance of money in both the campaign of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It said that a candidate having “large war chest of funds” is viewed as strong, thereby signaling viability. On the contrary, those with less are seen as “vulnerable or week.”
That report also added that a candidate with money invites more money. Thus, those who already have much will even have more funds.
Amid all the numbers being shown, the article finally noted that though money tells much about the campaign, there is no telling where this election would go. As much as Donald Trump is lagging behind in funds, he is still dominating delegate counts and polls. While Hillary Clinton has been formidable, there is still no indication of the coalition she will create to get elected.
[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]