Warren, Klobuchar and Booker raise millions less than rivals in 2020 contest

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker released their fundraising figures Friday for the final months of 2019, with each taking in millions less than other top contenders in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Warren of Massachusetts raised more than $21.2 million in the final quarter, about $13 million less than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, her competition for the support of the party’s most liberal voters. Neither is holding high-dollar fundraisers, instead relying on grass-roots donors.

Warren’s campaign staff said they realized they were behind in fourth-quarter donations in late December, and announced a goal of raising $20 million by Dec. 31.

“Thanks to supporters like you who stepped up and chipped in, we beat our goal,” campaign manager Roger Lau wrote in an email to donors. “And we saw a strong surge of support at the end — over $1.5 million came in on the last day of the year alone, our best fundraising day to date.”

Klobuchar of Minnesota took in $11.4 million in the fourth quarter, more than double what she raised in the previous quarter. However, it’s more than $10 million less than what her top rivals in the moderate lane, former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, raised in the same time period.

Klobuchar campaign manager Justin Buoen said the large increase since the third quarter showed the momentum the candidate has seen since recent strong debate performances.

“Our campaign has seen a massive surge in grass-roots support, and this has allowed us to make critical campaign investments,” he said. “We have been able to double our staff in Iowa and New Hampshire and make critical investments in Nevada and South Carolina as well as prepare for Super Tuesday.”

Booker of New Jersey raised $6.6 million, his best fundraising quarter so far. His campaign said more than half of the people who gave were donating to the campaign for the first time.

Several candidates released their fourth-quarter hauls earlier in the week. Sanders reported raising $34.5 million, Buttigieg $24.7 million, Biden $22.7 million, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang $16.5 million.

However, none of the campaigns released how much cash they had on hand as they entered 2020, with the first nominating contest in the nation just a month away. Campaign finance disclosures that detail cash on hand, donors, spending and other granular information are not due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission until Jan. 31.