Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke raised $4.5 million in the third quarter, his campaign announced Friday.
The total is an improvement over the $3.6 million that the former El Paso congressman took in during the previous quarter, and it came despite a halt to fundraising for roughly two weeks in August after the deadly El Paso shooting. Still, the total puts him behind a majority of primary rivals who have released their third-quarter figures so far, including two leading candidates who each raised around $25 million.
The latest haul covered July, August and September, which O’Rourke’s campaign said was its best fundraising month yet. It also said its average donation in the third quarter was $26, and 99% of contributions were under $200.
O’Rourke did not immediately share how much cash on hand he had. That figure was $5.2 million at the end of the second quarter.
O’Rourke was set to further discuss the state of his campaign during a 6 p.m. livestream with supporters.
O’Rourke’s $4.5 million haul places him in the lower third of candidates who have volunteered their third-quarter numbers ahead of the Tuesday deadline to report them to the Federal Election Commission. The totals have ranged from a little over $2 million to $25.3 million and $24.6 million for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, respectively.
Still, O’Rourke can take a measure of solace in beating his second-quarter tally, which marked a sharp slowdown in fundraising after he pulled in $9.4 million in his campaign’s first 18 days. Moreover, the third quarter saw him suspend campaign fundraising for 12 days in early August as he responded to the El Paso shooting, instead using his platform to raise over $1 million for groups fighting gun violence and other causes.
The other Texan running for president, Julián Castro, has not released his latest fundraising numbers yet. He raised $1.1 million in the first quarter and $2.8 in the second quarter. Without releasing specific figures, his campaign has said the third quarter was his best one yet.
Both Texans are set to participate in the fourth primary debate Tuesday in Ohio, but they have their work cut out for them to qualify for the fifth debate, which is Nov. 20 in Georgia. Both have accrued the 165,000 donors required for the event, according to their campaigns. However, they also need to hit 3% in four qualifying polls, something Castro has not done yet and O’Rourke has achieved just once. The deadline for the polling requirement is Nov. 13.
Source: Texas Tribune Blue Left News
