Joe Biden Raised More Money Than Donald Trump In May
In the month of May, the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, raised more money than President Donald Trump, Politico reported.
Biden and the Democratic National Committee raked in $80.8 million last month, while Trump and the Republican National Committee raised $74 million.
Trump is still at an advantage when it comes to cash on-hand, with more than $265 million ready to be deployed. Biden and the DNC did not reveal their cash-on-hand figures.
In April, Trump and the RNC out-raised Biden and the DNC, raking in $61.7 million. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who was the last candidate standing against Biden, dropped out of the presidential race in early April.
Biden was able to improve his numbers because May was the first full month he was able to raise money jointly with the DNC. Furthermore, according to Democratic digital fundraising consultant Taryn Rosenkranz, there is usually a “natural coalescence around the nominee, so this is an expected uptick for Biden.”
During the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries, Biden struggled to raise money from small-dollar donors, relying primarily on big-money contributions. Since then, in order to build grassroots email lists, the former vice president’s campaign has invested significant sums of money in Facebook and Instagram advertisements.
But that does not mean Biden has given up on wooing rich donors. According to Politico, the Democrat is “doubling-down on virtual high-dollar events, often featuring his former presidential primary opponents and potential running mates.”
Senators Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, both former White House hopefuls, have held fundraisers for Biden. Former President Barack Obama will headline a fundraising event next week.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reportedly joined the Biden campaign’s efforts.
“Clinton has been making appeals to her extensive donor network, bringing some of her most loyal contributors onboard,” according to The Washington Post.
“She’s telling all of her supporters to get behind Biden. She’s telling people, ‘You really worked your heart out for me, but I need you to double it for Biden,'” an individual close to Clinton said.
Trump had his best fundraising day on June 14 — his birthday — when his allies raised $14 million. In a statement, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said that Trump’s “consistent leadership and unprecedented actions during this challenging time has undoubtedly resonated with the American people.”
Although Trump has an advantage when it comes to fundraising, Biden is far ahead in the polls. According to a Fox News survey released earlier this week, Trump is trailing the former vice president by 12 percentage points nationwide.
