Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is off to a fast fundraising start.
Reuters reports that Biden raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign. That figure was more than any of his Democratic rivals.
Biden, 76, brought in the bulk of that haul through smaller contributions, according to campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo. About 97 percent of those donations were under $200, Ducklo said.
NEWS: @JoeBiden for President raises $6.3 million in first 24 hours, topping every other 2020 presidential campaign in first true 24 hours of fundraising.
65,000 donations (61%) are NEW, & did not originate from existing email lists.#Joe2020
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) April 26, 2019
Biden topped the rest of the Democratic field in first-day fundraising. Beto O’Rourke brought in $6.1 million on his first day and Bernie Sanderson raised $5.9 million.
Before he entered the race on Thursday, some pundits questioned whether Biden would be able to tap into many small-dollar donations through the internet. They said this would be a test of Biden’s viability and support in the Democratic Party.
To qualify for the first Democratic presidential debate in June, candidates need to receive donations from 65,000 different donors. Biden reached that mark in the first 12 hours of his campaign, Ducklo said.
Biden served as Barack Obama’s vice president for two terms from 2009-16. He is part of a crowded 20-person field for the Democratic presidential nomination and the opportunity to likely face President Donal Trump in next year’s general election.
