WASHINGTON—Bernie Sanders is giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money, $27 at a time.
The insurgent Democratic presidential candidate’s success with low-dollar online fundraising perfectly complements his denouncement of big money in politics. He’s making big money, all right, but in little increments from average people.
When Sanders asks his supporters to chip in a few bucks, they respond with enthusiasm. As a result, his campaign is setting ever-higher benchmarks for online fundraising: $6 million in the 24 hours after his New Hampshire victory, $3 million after his narrow loss in Iowa, $2 million on Sept. 30, the final day of the fall fundraising quarter.
That online cash pile-up helped Sanders outraise Clinton in January and set him up to do so again this month. His fattening campaign bank account ensures he has the ability to wage a long primary battle.
“We’re in uncharted territory here,” said Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Sanders. “No one has ever done what we’re doing, raising almost every dollar from small-dollar contributions. So we’re hopeful and we’re optimistic that we'll have a lot of resources, but we have the resources in now to compete nationally” through next month.
