Bernie Sanders' $15 million fundraising haul is a really big deal

[Agschmid]

Bernie Sanders now has hard numbers — in dollars and donors — to back up the idea that he can run a serious campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

[center][/center]

The Vermont senator banked $15 million, a surprisingly robust fundraising haul, in the three months that ended June 30. It's one-third of the $45 million that Hillary Clinton hauled in for the second fundraising quarter of the year. But the number of donors — 250,000 — suggests Sanders will be able to go back to the well to keep his campaign running.

And that means Clinton won't be able to dispatch him anytime soon.

The numbers track with the strategy senior Sanders adviser Tad Devine outlined in a recent interview with Vox. The campaign hopes to end the year with 1 million contributors and do well enough in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries to entice them into giving again and again, Devine said.

"I am more than aware that my opponents will be able to outspend us. But we are going to win this election," Sanders told a Madison, Wisc., crowd of 10,000 — the largest for any presidential candidate so far this cycle — Wednesday. "They may have the money but we have the people. And when the people stand together, we can win."

The contribution totals include money from folks who bought bumper-stickers, T-shirts and other campaign swag, according to a Sanders release e-mailed to reporters.

Read More about why this matters.

[hr]
Pretty impressive to see these numbers!

[napi21]

1. That's a great number, and what a ot of people dont realize,

that $15 million goes a lot farther for Bernie than it does for most of the other candidates. The others all have paid handlers who write their speeches, advise them how to phrase things and answer questions, and they're all PAID quite well! Bernie answers his own questions, writes his own speeches, and I'm pretty damn sure he doesn't employ a Frank Luntz type to help him with words!

[onehandle]

2. With the $24 million that liberal groups have raised for Hillary, it's $69 million. nt

[Agschmid]

3. Yes this race will take a WHOLE lot of money, and this is just the primaries!

An impressive showing by both candidates.

[Duckhunter935]

9. so she should have enough money

to at least pay her interns, right?

[Agschmid]

17. Even the intern who wrote the OP'ed got over it...

Even though she thoroughly disagrees with Hillary for America’s decision to not pay their interns and called out the campaign’s hypocrisy, Osorio still plans on voting for Clinton, adding “Hillary will get my free vote even if she will never have my free help.”

Source.

[Duckhunter935]

19. Well that makes it OK

to not pay people for working for you when you have 100 million dollars in the bank.

[Agschmid]

20. Again she got over it...

So the whole thing sort of seems like a sham? Wasn't a big enough deal even to her to change her vote.

Odd, trust me I know.

[Duckhunter935]

21. does she speak for all of the others too?

I guess I am weird as I think you should get paid for your work.

[Agschmid]

23. She doesn't speak for anyone, but she was the one who wrote the oped.

Kevin Geiken, a longtime Democratic operative in Iowa, said he had tried to hire several former campaign staffers for paid political consulting jobs, only to be turned down by operatives who instead chose to work for Clinton gratis.

“It boggles my mind,” he told the Guardian in an interview. “From their perspective, they’ve got to put in their time in this campaign now to get hired later.”

Geiken said he understood the Clinton team was taking “great advantage in having free help that is already trained” – just that he “can’t understand why any of them would accept it”.

A veteran Democratic strategist unaffiliated with any presidential campaign said he thought Clinton was sending a mixed message by hiring hundreds of advisers to focus on a policy message around income inequality, only “to hire people as interns and treat people as free labor who have already done the job before”.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/hillary-clinton-unpaid-summer-intern-campaign

[malokvale77]

4. More impressive since it is small donors.

The number of people at his campaign stops tell the real story.

IMHO, America is ready for Bernie Sanders.

[Agschmid]

5. An average of just over $30.00!

[daleanime]

7. And I believe that is was....

over 250,000 donors. That's kind of insane.

[Ed Suspicious]

13. 7 months out from the first primary/caucus? Hell yeah it is.

[SoapBox]

6. Just the beginning.

I just started my monthly donation and will increase it in the near future.

Go Bernie!

[hopemountain]

8. correction: 400,00 donors

according to the press release on the bernie sanders official website. avg donation: $33.51.

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/small-donors-make-big-difference/

[SusanCalvin]

16. If each one of those

Represents only 10 others, that is huge.

I believe I saw recently on DU that our "elected" "representatives" consider one call (not even money) to represent about 4,000.

[Enthusiast]

10. We are going to win this election!

Then we are going to pound on congress and force them to do the right thing. Hear me?

[Agschmid]

11. I'm hoping not a lot of pounding is required...

I'd rather see us elect a congress that can help him get stuff done.

[Enthusiast]

15. In the meantime we will pound on them.

[SusanCalvin]

18. That is the way it is supposed to work.

Maybe we can make it do that.

[SusanCalvin]

12. Back to the well

With me every month for $10, since before he declared.

Probably will increase it soon.

[Ed Suspicious]

14. I'll resume donations in September. All told, I'll likely have around $100.00 into the Bernie

campaign by Iowa.

[RufusTFirefly]

22. Warning: If we make this about money, we will lose.

One Wall Street contribution can obliterate months of grassroots fundraising. Last time I checked, our system is still based on one person, one vote, not one dollar, one vote. Let's never forget that.

[SusanCalvin]

27. We must not forget that and

We must change the rules (back) to reflect it.

[secondwind]

24. God bless this man! He looks a little tired in the photo.. I hope he is not running himself

ragged.


GO BERNIE!

[Kalidurga]

26. He is doing something daily

I think he will be able to handle it. I think mostly the thing is he is getting used to being around crowds. Being from Vermont seeing more than 50 people at once would be a big deal I think.

[SusanCalvin]

28. Bless his heart.

If I can do it (in my small way), certainly he can.

Please come to Texas, Bernie!



On edit:

But not before you have been given Secret Service protection.

[2banon]

25. "They may have the money but we have the people. And when the people stand together, we can win."

[still_one]

29. No question, it is impressive. Regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, the general election

is going to be formidable for the Democrats, at least in respect to money. The koch brothers have committed nearly a billion dollars to get a republican elected, and I believe that is separate from Adelson, and the other right wing contributors.

[Gothmog]

30. This is still less than what John Edwards raised in 2007

[marble falls]

31. From a few different Law PACs. Bernie didn't raise as much but from hundreds ofthousands....

of small donors.