Bernie Sanders readies for first financial test against Hillary Clinton
By Dan Merica, CNN
Updated
3:21 PM EDT, Wed July 1, 2015
(CNN) —
Just as Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid picks up momentum, his David-versus-Goliath mission against Hillary Clinton is facing up to its first major hurdle as both campaigns tout their first fundraising hauls of the 2016 contest.
Sanders, who’s enjoying a bounce in the polls and has 9,000 energized supporters the campaign says have signed up to “feel the Bern” at a Madison, Wisconsin event Wednesday night, is going up against the well-connected, deep-pocketed Clinton fundraising machine. For being the little guy who says he hates fundraising – so far it looks like he’s holding his own.
As the fundraising quarter closed at midnight, it appears the Vermont senator’s campaign will turn in a relatively strong report. Sanders has raised roughly $8 million online, according to FEC filings from ActBlue, the organization handling his digital donation. His expected numbers will pale in comparison to the $45 million Clinton raised, an official with her campaign said Wednesday morning.
If Sanders was running a traditional campaign, this could be a problem. Money is the lifeblood of presidential campaigns, not only practically, but symbolically. When the Federal Election Commission officially releases campaign’s quarterly reports in early July, the fundraising tally will be devoured for signs of strengths, weaknesses and momentum.
But Sanders has far less overhead than Clinton, a point which is made clear each time he steps out of the backseat of a rental car at his campaign stops, surrounded by one or two aides. He doesn’t need to raise the same kind of money she is, because he’s likely to spend far less.
Sanders’ aides said Tuesday they will evaluate when to release their fundraising number this week. But on a call with reporters ahead of a trip to Wisconsin, Sanders was already touting his fundraising efforts.
“I think, as I understand it, we are going to have a pretty good campaign financial report coming out,” he said, adding that his campaign has “collected donations from some 200,000 Americans” from all 50 states. The average donation, Sanders said, was around $37.
Sanders says he detests personally asking people for money and has made a point of telling his supporters that “billionaires” aren’t lining up to give him money.
“Sitting around and talking to people at fundraisers, no, that would not be how he wants to spend a lot of his time,” said Tad Devine, Sanders’ top campaign strategist. “It is safe to say he would rather spend his time doing other things.”
On the other side of the primary ballot, Clinton has personally headlined 58 fundraisers since announcing her campaign, according to CNN analysis. And some of the events have been lavish: One New York fundraiser featured a concert by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, while one this week in New Jersey included a performance by Bon Jovi.
Attendance figures provided by Clinton campaign aides suggest Clinton-headlined events have brought in at least $23 million. Her top aides and operatives have headlined dozens more.
So far, according to his campaign aides, Sanders has headlined fewer than five fundraising events since launching his campaign in May (they don’t know exactly because they have happened so infrequently).
One bright spot for Sanders will be the number of campaign donors, though. While Sanders’ is expected to boast 200,000 donors this quarter, Clinton’s campaign has said in email pitches to donors that they are aiming for 50,000 donors.
Hours before the deadline, the Clinton campaign blasted an email under Hillary Clinton’s name with the plea for more donations. “I was a little nervous when we set a goal of 50,000 grassroots donations by tonight – but we only have 4,613 to go,” read the email.
A Clinton spokesman later said that the 50,000 donations number they repeatedly quoted in fundraising pitches for the last few days was their goal from last Friday to the close of the quarter, not their three month goal.
And when Clinton’s aides announced the campaign’s preliminary fundraising numbers, they didn’t include how many donations she received.
Sanders’ campaign aides wouldn’t say what they hoped to bring in this quarter and have been lowering expectations for weeks since the campaign raised an impressive $1.5 million in their first 24 hours. But Devine did say that Sanders’ campaign hopes to have brought in $40-$50 million by the end of the year.
“I think it is very important,” Devine said of the symbolic importance of Sanders’ forthcoming fundraising report. “One of the things we have tried to do is to demonstrate to voters in the early states, voters across the nation, to the press, to people who follow this process, that this is a real campaign. … If we can show people we are able to do that, that is an important step.”
Sanders has experienced a recent jump in momentum, buoyed by a handful of good polls, including a CNN/WMUR poll that found the Vermont senator was within 8 percentage points of Clinton in New Hampshire. This has particularly invigorated liberal Democrats looking for a Clinton alternative.
Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, acknowledged this week in an interview that the recent uptick in polls has driven more attention to the campaign, and put more pressure on their forthcoming fundraising announcement.
In light of the pressure, campaign aides have tried to use the more than likely fact that Clinton will out raise them into an incentive for more small donations.
In an email titled “They’ll have to deal with all of us” on Monday,” Weaver asked donors for $3, even though Sanders’ campaign has “long suspected that other candidates are going to raise a lot more money than we will. That’s what happens when you have Wall Street and the billionaire class in your corner.”
Sanders is well aware that his fundraising efforts are different than others, but has gotten behind efforts to make those differences a selling point.
“We have [raised money] very, very differently than other campaigns,” Sanders said matter-of-factly Tuesday. “But I believe we will be able to raise, as will be indicated in this reporting period and in the future, enough money to run a winning campaign.”
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
US Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Chicago in March 2019. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress.
PHOTO:
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders, right, leads a sit-in organized by the Congress of Racial Equality in 1962. The demonstration was staged to oppose housing segregation at the University of Chicago. It was Chicago's first civil rights sit-in.
PHOTO:
Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders takes the oath of office to become the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981. He ran as an independent and won the race by 10 votes.
PHOTO:
Donna Light/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders, right, tosses a baseball before a minor-league game in Vermont in 1984. US Sen. Patrick Leahy, center, was also on hand.
PHOTO:
Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In 1987, Sanders and a group of Vermont musicians recorded a spoken-word folk album. "We Shall Overcome" was first released as a cassette that sold about 600 copies. When Sanders entered the US presidential race in 2015, the album surged in online sales. But at a CNN town hall, Sanders said, "It's the worst album ever recorded."
PHOTO:
Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders reads mail at his campaign office in Burlington in 1990. He was running for the US House of Representatives after an unsuccessful bid in 1988.
PHOTO:
Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In 1990, Sanders defeated US Rep. Peter Smith in the race for Vermont's lone House seat. He won by 16 percentage points.
PHOTO:
Rob Swanson/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders sits next to President Bill Clinton in 1993 before the Congressional Progressive Caucus held a meeting at the White House. Sanders co-founded the caucus in 1991 and served as its first chairman.
PHOTO:
Marcy Nighswander/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Barack Obama, then a US senator, endorses Sanders' Senate bid at a rally in Burlington in 2006.
PHOTO:
TOBY TALBOT/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders takes part in a swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol in January 2007. He won his Senate seat with 65% of the vote.
PHOTO:
David Scull/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders chats with Dr. John Matthew, director of The Health Center in Plainfield, Vermont, in May 2007. Sanders was in Plainfield to celebrate a new source of federal funding for The Health Center.
PHOTO:
Toby Talbot/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks to reporters in 2010 about the Obama administration's push to extend Bush-era tax cuts. Three days later, Sanders held a filibuster against the reinstatement of the tax cuts. His speech, which lasted more than eight hours, was published in book form in 2011. It is called "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class."
PHOTO:
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and US Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, walk to a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2014. Sanders was chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
PHOTO:
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In March 2015, Sanders speaks in front of letters and petitions asking Congress to reject proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
PHOTO:
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In July 2015, two months after announcing he would be seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for President, Sanders spoke to nearly 10,000 supporters in Madison, Wisconsin. "Tonight we have made a little bit of history," he said. "You may know that some 25 candidates are running for President of the United States, but tonight we have more people at a meeting for a candidate for President of the United States than any other candidate has."
PHOTO:
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Seconds after Sanders took the stage for a campaign rally in August 2015, a dozen protesters from Seattle's Black Lives Matter chapter jumped barricades and grabbed the microphone from the senator. Holding a banner that said "Smash Racism," two of the protesters -- Marissa Johnson, left, and Mara Jacqueline Willaford -- began to address the crowd.
PHOTO:
Elaine Thompson/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders shakes hands with Hillary Clinton at a Democratic debate in Las Vegas in October 2015. The hand shake came after Sanders' take on the Clinton email scandal. "Let me say something that may not be great politics, but the secretary is right -- and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails, let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
PHOTO:
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders embraces Remaz Abdelgader, a Muslim student, during an October 2015 event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Asked what he would do about Islamophobia in the United States, Sanders said he was determined to fight racism and "build a nation in which we all stand together as one people."
PHOTO:
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders waves while walking in a Veterans Day parade in Lebanon, New Hampshire, in November 2015.
PHOTO:
BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS/Newscom
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders sits with rapper and activist Killer Mike at the Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta in November 2015. That evening, Killer Mike introduced Sanders at a campaign event in the city. "I'm talking about a revolutionary," the rapper told supporters. "In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that Sen. Bernie Sanders is the right man to lead this country."
PHOTO:
David Goldman/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Comedian Larry David and Sanders appear together on "Saturday Night Live" in February 2016. David had played Sanders in a series of sketches throughout the campaign season.
PHOTO:
Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and his wife, Jane, wave to the crowd during a primary night rally in Concord, New Hampshire, in February 2016. Sanders defeated Clinton in the New Hampshire primary with 60% of the vote, becoming the first Jewish candidate to win a presidential primary.
PHOTO:
John Minchillo/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 2016. He won the state's primary the next day, an upset that delivered a sharp blow to Clinton's hopes of quickly securing the nomination.
PHOTO:
JIM YOUNG/REUTERS/Newscom
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a campaign event in New York's Washington Square Park in April 2016.
PHOTO:
D Dipasupil/WireImage/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks at a rally in Santa Monica, California, in June 2016. He pledged to stay in the Democratic race even though Clinton secured the delegates she needed to become the presumptive nominee.
PHOTO:
John Locher/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders endorses Clinton at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in July 2016.
PHOTO:
Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses delegates on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in July 2016.
PHOTO:
Anthony Behar/SIPA/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders brings a giant printout of one of Donald Trump's tweets to a Senate debate in January 2017. In the tweet, Trump had promised not to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
PHOTO:
Senate TV
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders thanks supporters after winning re-election to the Senate in November 2018.
PHOTO:
Charles Krupa/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders looks at his notes as he watches President Trump deliver the State of the Union address in February 2019. That month, Sanders announced that he would be running for president again.
PHOTO:
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders hugs a young supporter during a campaign rally in Los Angeles in March 2019.
PHOTO:
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses the audience at a CNN town hall in Washington in April 2019.
PHOTO:
David Holloway for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks next to former Vice President Joe Biden at the first Democratic debates in June 2019.
PHOTO:
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders raises his fist as he holds a rally in Santa Monica, California, in July 2019.
PHOTO:
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders grabs the hand of US Sen. Elizabeth Warren during the Democratic debates in Detroit in July 2019.
PHOTO:
Mark Peterson/Redux for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders campaigns at the University of New Hampshire in September 2019. A few days later, he took himself off the campaign trail after doctors treated a blockage in one of his arteries. Sanders suffered a heart attack, his campaign confirmed.
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduces Sanders at a New York rally after endorsing him for president in October 2019.
PHOTO:
Mary Altaffer/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
In a tense and dramatic exchange moments after a Democratic debate, Warren accused Sanders of calling her a liar on national television. Sanders responded that it was Warren who called him a liar. Earlier in the debate, the two disagreed on whether Sanders told Warren, during a private dinner in 2018, that he didn't believe a woman could win the presidency.
PHOTO:
Victor J. Blue for CNN
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders laughs during a primary-night rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, in February 2020. Sanders won the primary, just as he did in 2016.
PHOTO:
Matt Rourke/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
A triumphant Sanders raises his fist in San Antonio after he was projected to win the Nevada caucuses.
PHOTO:
Eric Gay/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden talk before a Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2020.
PHOTO:
Matt Rourke/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders addresses supporters during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2020.
PHOTO:
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Sanders speaks to reporters in Burlington, Vermont, a day after Super Tuesday II. Sanders said it "was not a good night for our campaign from a delegate point of view" but that he looked forward to staying in the race and taking on Joe Biden in an upcoming debate.
PHOTO:
Charles Krupa/AP
Photos: Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
Biden greets Sanders with an elbow bump before the start of a debate in Washington in March 2020. They went with an elbow bump instead of a handshake because of the coronavirus pandemic.