$$$ RACE

Bernie Sanders Hits 1 Million Donations in Less Than Two Months

The Vermont senator took five months to hit the same milestone during his 2016 campaign.

Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) 2020 campaign announced Friday that it has received one million donations since he launched his second presidential bid on Feb. 19.

“We did it! The grassroots movement has made 1 millions donations and counting to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign,” wrote the senator’s official Twitter account, accompanied by a video touting the figures. “This is how we’re going to defeat Donald Trump and transform this country.”

While the campaign initially set a goal to reach the mark by the end of the first quarter, the one-million donation mile marker reflects the fundraising prowess of his operation and is another indicator that the Vermont senator is off to a faster start than his initial long-shot bid in the 2016 campaign.

His campaign also hit one million donations during that previous White House bid, but it took a full five months and was announced in Sept. 2015. The Sanders team has slashed that time in half for the 2020 race.

The one-million donation milestone had also been reached by both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

Many of the 2020 Democratic contenders have revealed their fundraising totals for the first quarter prior to the filing deadline on Monday. So far, Sanders has led with a total of $18.2 raised. Trailing him in fundraising haul are Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) with $12 million, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) with $9.4 million, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with $7 million, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) with $6 million.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, Sanders’ team also said his total came from 525,000 contributors.

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Gideon ResnickPolitical Reporter

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