By all appearances, Trump opponents are hyped about the possibility of holding Donald accountable for his corruption via voting him out of office this November. In August, the Joe Biden presidential campaign (alongside its partners in the Democratic Party) raised what seems to be the highest single-month fundraising haul of any U.S. presidential campaign ever, as Axios reports. The total — $364.5 million throughout August — is about two and a half times the about $143 million that the Trump campaign raised in August of 2016 (and it’s over four times the about $90 million that the Clinton campaign raised in that same month).
A statement posted to Biden’s Twitter account acknowledging the huge fundraising haul read:
‘Last month we raised $364.5 million — 95% of the donations from grassroots supporters like you and the majority online. Working people are powering our campaign — and I’m grateful. We’ve got a long way to go to close the fundraising gap and win — but we can do it. Together.’
Last month we raised $364.5 million — 95% of the donations from grassroots supporters like you and the majority online.
Working people are powering our campaign — and I’m grateful.
We’ve got a long way to go to close the fundraising gap and win — but we can do it. Together.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 2, 2020
Some $205 million of the Biden campaign’s August 2020 fundraising haul came from “online, small-dollar donations,” as Axios summarizes, adding that over “1.5 million Americans contributed last month for the first time” — a staggering number of first-time donors.
As Axios reports:
‘Biden’s massive haul reflects how energized Democrats are heading into the general election against President Trump. The nature of the pandemic has allowed Biden, and now Harris, to host virtual fundraisers almost daily. These allow for even more donors to “attend,” which has helped the campaign rake in cash quickly.’
Some boosts in fundraising for the Democrats came after the announcement of California Senator Kamala Harris as Biden’s running mate and during the Democratic National Convention, which occurred just recently as an all-online event. In contrast to past years, this year’s event featured frequently pre-recorded speeches that were broadcast across the nation. (Biden’s speech formally accepting the party’s presidential nomination was one of the components that was not pre-recorded.) During the convention, which lasted for four days, the Biden campaign raised about $70 million. Meanwhile, in the 24 hours after Harris’s August 11 announcement as Biden’s VP pick, the campaign raised $26 million.
During the four days of the recent Republican National Convention (RNC), the Trump campaign says that it raised $76 million, suggesting that there’s definitely a lot of attention on the presidential race from both sides. As of Wednesday afternoon, Biden leads Trump in national polls by an average of 7.5 percent, FiveThirtyEight reports.
