Beto O'Rourke might be winning the money primary — at least by one metric


Former congressman Beto O'Rourke has raised $9.4 million in 18 days, bringing in more money per day than his 2020 competitors, his campaign announced on Wednesday.
O'Rourke's campaign said it took in 218,000 contributions during that time, with an average donation of $43, and with a majority of donors being people who didn't give to his 2018 Senate campaign, per The New York Times. The campaign raised an average of $522,000 per day, putting his pace above that of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has raised $444,000 per day, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who has raised $171,000 per day, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has raised $103,000 per day, per NBC News' Mark Murray. Other Democrats have not yet announced their fundraising totals.
O'Rourke had previously announced $6.1 million raised in his campaign's first 24 hours, meaning he raised an additional $3.3 million since then. NBC's Ben Kamisar points out that if you discount the first 24 hours, though, Sanders has actually raised more money per day than O'Rourke: $305,000 per day vs. $194,117 per day.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
O'Rourke's campaign is the latest to announce its fundraising total for the first quarter of 2018, with Sanders having raised $18.2 million, Harris having raised $12 million, and Buttigieg having raised $7 million. Although O'Rourke's total is below that of Sanders and Harris, they also announced before he did — Sanders declared his candidacy in February and Harris announced in January, while O'Rourke did not enter the race until March 14.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
August 30 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump's role reversal and King George III
-
5 bullseye cartoons about the reasons for mass shootings
Cartoons Artists take on gun worship, a price paid, and more
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US Fed
Talking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda