Bernie Sanders campaigning in Wisconsin Credit: File: Eric Tadsen

Updated at 11:18 p.m.: Multiple media outlets reported late Wednesday that the Sanders campaign raised at least $24 million in the third quarter — not far behind the $28 million the Clinton campaign reported raising. Final tallies will be released later this month.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has met a mark some are calling historic: He’s raked in more than 1 million online contributions faster than any presidential candidate has before.

Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, emailed supporters Wednesday afternoon touting the fundraising pace, hours before a midnight campaign finance reporting deadline.

“I wanted you to hear it from me first: A short while ago, we flew past our goal of 1 million online contributions to our campaign,” Weaver’s email said. “Let’s. Keep. Going.”

Weaver went on to say: “If we do, we can send an unmistakable message about the size and strength of our political revolution to the political media who have dismissed us for too long.”

Sanders reached the mark earlier in the campaign cycle than Barack Obama did in 2008 and 2012. The International Business Times reported: 

The achievement beats the record Obama set during his campaigns. For 2012, Obama reached the same benchmark on Oct. 17, 2011. And in his 2008 campaign, the then-senator reached the milestone in February of that year.

That doesn’t mean Sanders has raised money from 1 million people. Campaign press secretary Symone Sanders told POLITICO it counted 650,000 individual contributors — many of whom made multiple donations.

Candidates have to detail how much they’ve raised and spent this quarter by October 15, though some might do so earlier.

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Terri Hallenbeck was a Seven Days staff writer covering politics, the Legislature and state issues from 2014 to 2017.

4 replies on “Bernie Sanders Passes Million-Donation Mark, Reports Raising $24 Million”

  1. Go Bernie go!!! Let’s bring the national conversation not to how that guys suit looks or his slick manner but to issues that are killing the middle class, like education, health care, retirement, and taxes that are fair to all not just the select few that are running the show behind the curtain

  2. MMmmmm where did the 24 million come from??? Who did he accept it from or should I say whom??I do not believe he got 24 million from the poor and middle class..who can afford it.. Big businesses? millionaires? Soros?who’s paying for all his campaigning trips, his lodging, cars and security? As much as he’s been running around it has cost millions of dollars..Who’s footing the bill???

  3. To the person wondering where 24 million comes from, you just have to do the math. If one million contributions have been received, the math goes like this:

    24 million dollars divided by 1 million contributions = $24 per contribution on average

    No big corporate donations are necessary when you have 1 MILLION donations.

    That said, I’m sure he also has some ethical wealthy supporters donating more than $24, which means it’s likely that some people are donating only $10 or $15. That’s the power of large numbers of people.

    That is the definition of grass roots.

  4. As the story mentions – 650,000 individual contributors have donated a total of 1 million times and the average amount to date, according to Sanders campaign, is $24.68. Since Sanders campaign has raised a total of about $24 Million – that amount is right on target. However, that also means many individuals that have funded his campaign to date can likely donate several more times without risk of hitting the $2,700 limit imposed on individual voters.

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