Pete Buttigieg Rakes in $7 Million in April

2020 White House contender and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) raked in campaign funds totaling $7 million in April alone, according to a report.

Politico reported Monday that Buttigieg campaign officials revealed the staggering fundraising numbers in a conference call with donors in April. The development comes amid reports that the 37-year-old Indiana Democrat is strengthening fundraising efforts and expected to more than double his first-quarter raise — $7 million — with an estimated $15 million haul. Campaigns have until June 30th to accept funds counted towards their second-quarter totals and until July 15th to file reports with Federal Election Commission (FEC).

“If you want to show you’re growing, if you want to show you’ve got any shot at this, then you need to be growing,” Julianna Smoot, former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign finance director, told Politico. “And he’s clearly showing signs that he’s expanding.”

Though Buttigieg is now considered a top-tier presidential candidate, the field’s top two contenders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), topped him by a considerable spread in Q1 fundraising.

Sanders, who announced his campaign in February, raked in nearly $18.2 million in the first quarter of 2019, while Biden, who did not announce his candidacy until late April and did not have to file a first-quarter fundraising report, raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign.

Still, both Biden and Sanders began their campaigns with significantly higher national profiles than Buttigieg, who has never before sought federal elected office.

A Fox News poll published Sunday shows Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harries tied for fourth place with 8 percent among primary voters. Biden topped the survey with 32 percent, while Sanders (13 percent) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (9 percent) placed second and third place, respectively.

The AFP contributed to this report.