Sanders Leads February Fundraising Numbers
The presidential campaigns and supporting (but independent) "super PACs" reported their fundraising hauls for February over the weekend, and the runaway winner was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Fox News has an AP reports providing in-depth information and analysis on where the candidates stand and what it might mean going forward:
The money trail: Cruz trounces Kasich, Sanders outraises Clinton in February
John Kasich, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, the final three Republican candidates running for president, began this month with drastically different campaign fortunes, new fundraising reports show.
In one month, Cruz raised what Kasich has collected over the entire course of his longshot bid. Trump, a billionaire, has raised relatively little money as he "self-funds" his effort....
Sanders' campaign reported raising more than $43 million in February, outraising [Hillary] Clinton by about $14 million, federal fundraising reports show.
Sanders, whose online fundraising in small increments has set records, continued to draw substantial support from low-dollar donors. In February, more than 60 percent of his campaign's money came from people who had given $200 or less to federal candidates in this election cycle.
But the Vermont senator also reported spending about $41 million last month. He started March with about $17 million in cash, about half as much as Clinton's $31 million in available cash.
Clinton's supportive super PAC, Priorities USA, reported raising a little less than $5 million in February, half of its January haul. Still, the group began this month with $44 million to spend; representatives say they are preserving much of it for the general election.
Several other articles this morning also discuss, in further detail, the fundraising totals for all of the candidates, including:
The Hill: Sanders raises $43.5 million in February
Washington Post: Pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA started March with $44 million war chest
Washington Post: With little fundraising power, John Kasich raised just $3.4 million in February
Politico: Cruz raised $12 million in February
USA Today: Donald Trump's spending on White House race nears $25 million
Money isn't everything in politics, of course - Jeb Bush has been out of the GOP race for a month now despite the impressive fundraising numbers (at least early on) of his campaign and the independent super PAC supporting his campaign, and Sanders is struggling to prove he still has a viable campaign. But it's obviously better to have money than not have it, and these fundraising reports suggest Sanders still has the resources to wage a spirited campaign for some time, while Kasich is in danger of being forced from the race without a significant infusion of cash.