Ahead of the November elections, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former vice president Joe Biden is raising far larger sums of money than those raised by incumbent Republican President Donald Trump. In March, the Biden campaign raised a staggering $46.7 million, compared to just $13.6 million that the Trump campaign raised. That huge leading margin for Biden in the fundraising race suggests that he is well on his way to leading a substantive challenge to Donald Trump this November, no matter how many whiny tweets that the president posts.
‘U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden raised more than three times as much money for his campaign than President Donald Trump managed in March, a potential sign of voter enthusiasm for the Democratic challenger. Biden’s campaign said on Monday it took in $46.7 million last month despite the coronavirus health crisis that has disrupted fundraising for U.S. politicians and hit donor finances. It was a record haul for the former vice president…’
There is one important caveat. The Trump campaign ended March with a lot more money on hand than the Biden campaign managed to accumulate. Trump officially announced his re-election bid very shortly after his initial election and inauguration, and his team has been using the time since to try and build a successful re-election operation. At the end of March, the Trump campaign had $98.5 million in the bank, while the Biden campaign had $26.4 million.
Still — money doesn’t vote; people do. There have already been signs that an upswell of support for Democrats could lead Biden to a victory this November. Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, turnout in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary cycle was surging well beyond 2016 levels. In the Virginia contest alone, turnout almost doubled in 2020 compared to 2016 — and Biden won the then-crowded primary race by a large leading margin. He nabbed an overall majority of the vote, no matter the crowd.
There’s lots of support for other Democrats as well. In the first quarter of 2020, Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate outraised their incumbent Republican challengers in each and every one of the currently GOP-held seats that the Cook Political Report calls a toss-up. That list includes races in Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, and Colorado. The Democrats need to secure at least three additional seats besides their current total to secure the majority status in the Senate. If Trump remains in the White House and the vice president, who breaks Senate ties, therefore remains a Republican, Democrats would need to secure four additional seats to become the Senate majority party.
Remember this, every Governor who has sky high approval on their handling of the Coronavirus, and I am happy for them all, could in no way have gotten those numbers, or had that success, without me and the Federal Governments help. From Ventilators to Testing, we made it happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020
Trump has been trying to shore up support for his candidacy ahead of November. This week, he tweeted:
‘Remember this, every Governor who has sky high approval on their handling of the Coronavirus, and I am happy for them all, could in no way have gotten those numbers, or had that success, without me and the Federal Governments help. From Ventilators to Testing, we made it happen!’
That’s nonsense. Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan, for example, ended up having to secure half a million Coronavirus tests from South Korea after the president’s previous complaints about ever getting asked for assistance for states at all.
