Buttigieg says he raised $7M in first quarter

Pete Buttigieg, who has yet to officially announce his 2020 presidential campaign, said on Monday that he has raised more than $7 million in the first quarter of this year.

“This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year,” the Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind., tweeted.

“We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn,” he added. “I’ll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters.”

This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year. We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I’ll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters. pic.twitter.com/rDmTEiTfCs

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 1, 2019

While Buttigieg has surged in popularity and recognition since announcing an exploratory committee in January, his haul is likely to be dwarfed by other 2020 candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose campaign said it raised $6 million in just its first day.

{mosads}Still, the total is impressive for a not-yet-declared candidate who was relatively unknown in national politics compared to longtime progressive figures like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Buttigieg announced last month that he had received donations from 76,000 individual donors, surpassing the threshold set by the Democratic National Committee to guarantee a spot at the first debate of the 2020 cycle.

The two-term mayor, Navy veteran and only openly gay candidate surged into third place in a recent poll of likely caucusgoers in Iowa, behind Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced a campaign.