Former Vice President Joe Biden called six of his supporters on March 19, told them he is running for president, and asked them to line up major donors so he can quickly rake in millions in contributions, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Biden told the supporters that he won’t be able to quickly raise enough contributions from small donors to outpace socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Texas Rep. Robert “Beto” O‘Rourke, both of whom raised hefty sums in the 24 hours following their formal 2020 bid announcements. Sanders raised $5.9 million in the 24 hours following his announcement on Feb. 19. O’Rourke reported raising $6.1 after announcing his bid on March 14.
