| | | | The 💰 primary is on! |  | | Money isn't determinative in presidential politics. But it sure as heck helps!
The third fundraising quarter -- covering money raised and spent from July 1 to September 30 -- ended on Monday night.
The two Democratic candidates seemingly most pleased with their performances -- Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg -- have released their numbers. And impressive numbers they are! More than $25 million raised for Sanders and more than $19 million for Buttigieg. Sanders has now raised more than $71 million in 2019 alone; Buttigieg has brought in more than $51 million.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Kamala Harris of California released her number: $11.6 million raised this quarter. That total placed her smack-dab between the financial front-runners and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's $6 million. Booker had announced his fundraising total Tuesday morning after a very high-profile push to collect $1.7 million in the final days of the quarter. The Harris number isn't outstanding, but considering that she struggled mightily in polling over the past few months, it's enough to keep the vultures away from her doors.
It's hard to imagine anyone -- other than maybe Elizabeth Warren and/or Joe Biden -- outpacing Sanders and Buttigieg in this quarter. If either does raise upward of $25 million, it will be a major boost for their candidacies -- especially Biden's, as it continues to labor somewhat under the notion that he is a very weak front-runner. Of course, if Warren (not likely) or Biden (more likely) raises less than Buttigieg, they will have to deal with the "small-town mayor outraises top-tier candidate" storyline. Which is not good.
While Harris was under the most scrutiny among the "second five" fighting for the nomination, people like Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas have a lot riding on this fundraising period, too.
O'Rourke had raised nearly $14 million in the race through June 30, but the bulk of that came within his first two weeks as a candidate, back in the spring. While his candidacy has been revived -- somewhat -- by his seizure of the gun issue, it remains to be seen whether that will be reflected in his fundraising. As for Klobuchar -- almost $13 million raised through June 30 -- she has been steady but not spectacular. Did the consistency of her first two quarters continue? Or is she running out of steam?
A final word for those who criticize the emphasis on fundraising as a key metric in a presidential primary race: The essence of distinguishing yourself in such a crowded primary field is demonstrating support. What better way to show committed support than with people who believe so strongly in you they are willing to dip into their own pockets to help you continue in the campaign?
The Point: Money matters.
-- Chris | | "Every time I turn around, Rudy's on another TV show."
-- Jon Sale, Rudy Giuliani's new lawyer, told CNN's Michael Warren. Sale worked as an assistant prosecutor on the team investigating the Watergate scandal and is representing Giuliani in the matter of the congressional impeachment inquiry. | | |  | Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine meltdown | | Rudy Giuliani is all over the place in his public appearances about the Ukraine drama. As he keeps spilling information, it's creating more of a mess for the administration. Chris explains what is going on with Trump's personal lawyer.
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Have a topic idea for YouTube? Drop a line to the new associate producer of The Point, Allison Gordon! We're so excited to have her. | | | Chris really digs this one from an artist named Bedouine. Thanks, Pitchfork! | | Asked about her gutsiest move, Hillary Clinton first offered a personal response: Staying in her marriage with President Bill Clinton.
"Oh, boy, I think the gutsiest thing I (have) ever done -- well, personally, (to) make the decision to stay in my marriage. Publicly, politically, (running) for president. And keep going. Just get up every day and keep going," Clinton said on "Good Morning America."
Clinton is on a press tour to promote her latest book, "The Book of Gutsy Women," co-authored with her daughter, Chelsea. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Bernie Sanders: Made a $1.3 million buy to run his first TV ads in the 2020 cycle. They will air in Iowa starting Thursday.
Cory Booker: Appeared to pin the future of his campaign on a 10-day fundraising blitz. He was able to raise $2.16 million.
Kamala Harris: Says President Trump's Twitter account should be suspended because "he is irresponsible with his words in a way that could result in harm to other people."
Tom Steyer: Announced a plan to end gun violence in America, including declaring it a public health epidemic. | | This morning, the President tweeted a county-by-county rendering of the 2016 election, meant to illustrate his 2,626 county wins to Hillary Clinton's 487.
Here's why it's misleading: Landmass doesn't represent voter distribution. And Clinton won the popular vote against Trump by more than 2.8 million votes. | | | | | | |
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