O’Rourke raised $6.1 million from over 128,000 donors on campaign’s first day

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) announced Wednesday that the money raised in the first 24 hours of his presidential campaign came from more than 128,000 donors. 

O’Rourke, who launched his White House bid last week, raised about $6.1 million on the campaign’s first day, with an average contribution of approximately $47, according to Politico. 

{mosads}“We were so fortunate to receive so much help in the first 24 hours of this campaign — more than 128,000 unique contributions made in the first 24 hours from every state in the country. $47 was the average contribution,” O’Rourke told reporters after an event in New Hampshire, according to Politico. “All of it came from people. Not a dime from PACs or lobbyists. It helps us on our way to becoming the largest grass-roots campaign this country has ever seen.”

O’Rourke’s fundraising tally represented the largest first day fundraising haul from any Democratic presidential candidate. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who announced his second bid for president in February, raised roughly $5.9 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign.

By contrast, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) raised about $1.5 million on her campaign’s first day. 

O’Rourke said last week that his fundraising numbers showcased that a “true grass-roots campaign for president” can take place. 

” A campaign by all of us, for all of us, that answers not to the PACs, corporations, and special interests but to the people,” he said in a statement.

O’Rourke, a three-term El Paso congressman, proved to be a formidable fundraiser during his failed Senate run against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last year, bringing in millions in donations. He said Saturday that he did not have any plans for large-dollar fundraisers for his campaign. 

O’Rourke appears to be a top-tier candidate in a crowded presidential field based on his fundraising. A new Emerson poll released on Tuesday found that 11 percent of Democratic primary voters surveyed view O’Rourke as their favored candidate.