Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden raised $21.5 million since entering the presidential race in late April, his campaign said Wednesday.
Mr. Biden’s campaign said that more than 256,000 contributors gave more than 436,000 total donations, with an average contribution of $49.
“After just two months in this race, we have seen Americans in every corner of the country chip in to join this battle for the soul of our nation,” said Greg Schultz, Mr. Biden’s campaign manager.
Mr. Biden’s campaign pointed out that the candidate was in the race for 66 days during the quarter, which covers April, May, and June.
His total is still less than the $24.8 million haul reported by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who entered the race in mid-April.
Sen. Bernard Sanders’ campaign reported bringing in $18 million in contributions in the second quarter, with an additional $6 million in transfers.
Unlike Mr. Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has not yet publicly announced her second-quarter figures, Mr. Biden has not eschewed high-dollar fundraisers in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
It was a fundraising event in New York City where Mr. Biden made his now-infamous comments in which he held out his past work with segregationist senators as an example of civility in politics and working with people you might disagree with.
Mr. Biden has since defended his record on civil rights, but has taken a hit in recent polling amid the rise of candidates like Ms. Warren and Sen. Kamala Harris, who confronted him on his past positions on busing to desegregate schools at last week’s presidential debate.
Mr. Biden’s campaign also touted the fact that he raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours of his candidacy — though President Trump raised close to $25 million in less than 24 hours as he officially kicked off his re-election campaign last month.
Combined with the Republican National Committee and associated committees, Mr. Trump’s campaign brought in $105 million in the second quarter.
Sen. Michael Bennet took in a total of $3.5 million in the second quarter, which included a $700,000 transfer from his Senate campaign. Other Democratic contenders have been a bit cagier on their latest money totals, while acknowledging that they’ll be well back of people like Mr. Biden, Mr. Buttigieg, and Mr. Sanders.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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