National

Data: FEC; Note: Trump fundraising does not include receipts from Trump Victory and Trump Make America Great Again Committee; Chart: Harry Stevens/Axios

Until election day on November 3, 2020, Axios will be tracking the fundraising of every candidate for federal office.

Why it matters: President Trump raised more money than any other candidate for a second straight quarter, according to fundraising reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, but even with Democratic contributions split among a wide field of candidates, top candidates are demonstrating they can compete with Trump in the money race.

Still, the president's fundraising declined from the previous quarter, from $30.3 million to $26.5 million. Meanwhile, Democratic competitors like Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg increased their fundraising totals and narrowed the money gap between themselves and Trump.

But, but, but: Trump had a head start, and he still has a far larger war chest than any potential opponent.

If fundraising is a proxy for voter enthusiasm, Sanders is positioned for another long presidential race. The Vermont senator finished second to Trump in second quarter fundraising, reporting $25.7 million in receipts and improving his fundraising haul from the first quarter. 

Beto O'Rourke lost momentum, falling nearly $6 million shy of his first quarter fundraising mark. Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Tulsi Gabbard also saw their fundraising drop from last quarter.

Joe Biden raised $22 million, fourth among all candidates.

The race to replace Arizona Senator John Kyl is shaping up to be a costly one between astronaut Mark Kelly and fighter pilot Martha McSally, who raised the most and second most among all Senate candidates in the second quarter.

After losing a close Senate race to Democrat Kristen Sinema last year, McSally was appointed to Arizona's other Senate seat by the governor.

Kelly is married to former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised $3.1 million in the second quarter, good for third among Senate candidates. McConnell has been challenged by multiple Democrats, including fighter pilot Amy McGrath.

In the House, entrenched incumbents padded their fundraising leads over any potential challengers.

Steve Scalise of Louisiana raised about $3 million, the most of any House candidate for the second straight quarter.

He was trailed by former Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi brought in $1.3 million, while freshman Democrat and progressive favorite Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought in $1.2 million.

More than four-fifths of Ocasio-Cortez' fundraising total came from donors who gave less than $200.

Q2 fundraising: Trump still winning the money race

Axios is tracking the fundraising of every candidate for federal office.

Politics

2020 elections

2020 election

Until election day on November 3, 2020, Axios will be tracking the fundraising of every candidate for federal office.Why it matters: President Trump raised more money than any other candidate for a second straight quarter, according to fundraising reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, but even with Democratic contributions split among a wide field of candidates, top candidates are demonstrating they can compete with Trump in the money race.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Sneak Peek

Axios Sneak Peek

Data: Presidential Coalition's forms 8872 from the IRS; Note: Chart excludes undated contributions; Chart: Harry Stevens/Axios

Former Trump campaign deputy manager David Bossie, who Axios recently exposed as milking donors by flaunting President Trump’s name, is trying to repair and revive his controversial fundraising operation. 

The bottom line: Bossie suspended fundraising after Axios revealed that very little of the money he was raising was going to political campaigns. Trump was livid, forcing the Bossie retreat. Now, Bossie tells us he is making several changes — presumably to get back into Trump’s good graces and back into the fundraising business.

The impact: Bossie directed his political group, the Presidential Coalition, to cease all fundraising on May 7, 2 days after Axios published the findings of its investigation, done in collaboration with the Campaign Legal Center (CLC).

That's in part thanks to the president, who personally authorized the Trump campaign to issue a blistering statement, without naming Bossie, condemning "any organization that deceptively uses the president's name, likeness, trademarks, or branding and confuses voters," in the wake of our story. 

"The president was pissed," a Trump campaign official told Axios. "He doesn’t like the idea that his supporters would be tricked into donating to things they thought were the campaign ... and he doesn’t like it when people benefit from using his name, especially financially."

The fallout: Bossie told Axios that the group is "currently redesigning our fundraising programs, because of my longstanding relationship with the president and because of my desire to only help the president and the administration."

The Presidential Coalition will no longer reference "The Trump Coalition" in its mailers and fundraising materials, Bossie said. He claims they were going to stop using that language after 2019 anyway, "due to the regulatory regime."

The group will also be far more clear that the Presidential Coalition is an affiliate of Citizens United: "We will print it in our mailers and on the envelopes to be even more transparent," Bossie said. 

Despite these changes, Bossie still claims that he doesn't think "there was anything whatsoever that was done outside of the appropriate fundraising avenues."

By the numbers:  The Presidential Coalition's average daily contributions plunged from over $20,000 per day in early May to under $2,000 per day by the end of June, according to a new Axios/CLC analysis of the organization's latest IRS filing from the first half of 2019.

Worth noting: The majority of donations made to the Presidential Coalition (62%) in the first half of 2019 came from unitemized, small donors who gave less than $200 in a year — similar to the contributions from previous years. The dates of those small-donor contributions are not known, given IRS regulations.

The state of play: Despite the backlash it faced, the Presidential Coalition is still spending just a small percentage of its money on direct political activity, though the percentage is higher than that of 2017 and 2018:

The group spent $5.9 million in the first half of 2019, but devoted just $148,100 (or 2.5%) of its overall spending on political contributions. Another $325,000 was spent on "digital ad buys" that correspond to a July pro-Trump digital ad campaign, according to CLC's analysis. 

Taken together, the Presidential Coalition dedicated nearly 8% of overall spending to direct political activity, up from 3% in 2017 and 2018.

As before, most of the Presidential Coalition's spending went toward more fundraising, as well as rent and payroll.

What to watch: Bossie said his group has also been building up a $4.3 million war chest, and that starting after Labor Day, the Presidential Coalition will spend $3 million — or $1 million per month — over September, October and November on ads supporting the president and state and local candidates.

Worth noting: Bossie, a Fox News contributor, was totally absent on the network for nearly 3 months after our story ran. However, he did appear on the network again on July 31 to defend Trump after his tweets attacking Baltimore Rep. Elijah Cummings. A Fox News spokesperson told Axios that Bossie is still a contributor. 

The Trump campaign told Axios that it stands by its May statement.

Inside a top Trump adviser's fundraising mirage

Elderly Bossie donors say they thought they were helping Trump

David Bossie’s embarrassing retreat

The Presidential Coalition's average daily contributions plunged from over $20,000 per day in early May to under $2,000 per day in June.

David Bossie

Former Trump campaign deputy manager David Bossie, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios recently exposed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/david-bossie-fundraising-presidential-coalition-3bf22829-8a89-4a10-84b7-7310e02c2ef2.html" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/david-bossie-fundraising-presidential-coalition-3bf22829-8a89-4a10-84b7-7310e02c2ef2.html" target="_self">Axios recently exposed</a> as milking donors by flaunting President Trump’s name, is trying to repair and revive his controversial fundraising operation. The bottom line: Bossie suspended fundraising after Axios revealed that very little of the money he was raising was going to political campaigns. Trump was livid, forcing the Bossie retreat. Now, Bossie tells us he is making several changes — presumably to get back into Trump’s good graces and back into the fundraising business.

Nearly all major environmental groups saw their donations increase, some significantly so, with President Trump in the White House, according to an Axios analysis of tax filings.

The big picture: This is classic Washington. When one side is in power, interest groups on the other side often see more financial support — which is why environmental groups are on the rise during one of the most aggressive regulatory rollbacks in American history.

Driving the news: Between 2015 and 2017, donations to 10 of America’s most influential environmental groups increased between 20% and 149%. 

That’s the last full year before Trump’s election and the first full year since his victory. (2017 is the most recent year with widely available forms.)

This chart, adjusted for inflation, shows 10 of the total 18 we analyzed. All but two saw growth.

Data: Forms 990; Get the data; Chart: Harry Stevens/Axios

Oceana's 149% increase was by far the biggest. Its CEO, Andy Sharpless, says its fundraising jumped partly because of its campaign to stop the Trump administration’s plans to expand offshore oil drilling, and also because of big donations by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Wyss Foundation to expand ocean conservation efforts around the world.

Earthjustice and League of Conservation Voters saw their fundraising nearly double between 2015 and 2016, suggesting a sharp spike in donations after Trump’s November 2016 election.

Two groups out of the 18 we analyzed — Conservation Fund and Environmental Working Group —  raised slightly less money in the year after Trump's election than the year before it.

What they’re saying: Axios reached out for comment to all of the groups included on the chart. Most said Trump’s election was behind the increase, while a couple said the two were unrelated.

“Americans see the damage the Trump administration is doing to our environment and know that we are nearing a point of no return on climate,” said Sam Sankar, senior vice president of programs at Earthjustice. 

In its fundraising, the group has touted its “Overruling Trump tracker,” which tracks all lawsuits the group has filed against Trump: 122 when we started writing this a few weeks ago, and 127 last we checked.

Yes, but: It’s hard to confirm a direct line of causation between the increased donations and Trump’s election. Several factors could be going into this, including an improving economy.

Nonetheless, the data shows a notable increase after Trump’s election when comparing it to earlier years going back to 2013.

The intrigue: In addition to big donations from deep-pocketed institutional donors like Bloomberg Philanthropies, individuals are also changing how they give, according to interviews and conversations we've had. Here's one.

Bob Finnegan, a 65-year-old attorney in Connecticut, has decided to donate one bigger pile of money to one environmental group — Earthjustice — instead of smaller donations to several groups.

“I decided I really like what Earthjustice was doing the most because they are really going after these people,” Finnegan said in a recent phone interview.

Finnegan says he typically gives $1,000-$1,500 a year, and although that number hasn’t increased recently, his single donation to Earthjustice has. He also says he plans to up his donations in the coming years.

What motivates him the most, he says, is his anger over the Trump administration’s removal of federal protections of public lands in the West.

What we’re watching: If this trend accelerates or flat-lines if Trump wins reelection in 2020. If a Democrat wins, we’ll be watching to see if donations drop off as the threat to environmental policies lessens. 

Exclusive: Fundraising by environmental groups spikes under Trump

Environmental donations rise between 20% and 149% under Trump.

Illustration of an upward trending market line with vines growing around it

Energy

Environmental protection

Column / Harder Line

Nearly all major environmental groups saw their donations increase, some significantly so, with President Trump in the White House, according to an Axios analysis of tax filings.The big picture: This is classic Washington. When one side is in power, interest groups on the other side often see more financial support — which is why environmental groups are on the rise during one of the most aggressive regulatory rollbacks in American history.

Data: Axios research; Graphic: Harry Stevens/Axios

Humans have successfully landed 20 crewed and uncrewed missions on the Moon’s surface, with more to come.

The big picture: More and more nations are shooting for the Moon, with India aiming to send a lander and rover there next week.

Details: Earlier this year, Israel's Beresheet spacecraft attempted a lunar landing, but an issue with the main engine caused it to fail.

In January, China's increasingly formidable space program became the first to land a probe on the far side of the Moon.

The timeline beneath the Moon shows when each landing occurred, highlighting the 37-year gap between the last Soviet mission in 1976 and the first Chinese one in 2013.

The graphic is interactive. You can spin the Moon, and you can tap on each mission’s dot — either on the Moon itself or on the timeline — to learn more.

Blue Origin details plans to get NASA to the Moon by 2024

All the Moon landings, from Luna to Apollo to Chang'e

All the moon landings, from Luna to Apollo to Chang'e.

Science

Deep Dive - The Moon

Space

Humans have successfully landed 20 crewed and uncrewed missions on the Moon’s surface, with more to come.The big picture: More and more nations are shooting for the Moon, with India aiming to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="send a lander" data-vars-click-url="https://www.space.com/india-chandrayaan-2-moon-lander-new-launch-date.html" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.space.com/india-chandrayaan-2-moon-lander-new-launch-date.html" target="_blank">send a lander</a> and rover there next week.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Sports

Axios Sports

England and New Zealand will go head-to-head in the Cricket World Cup final on Sunday, with both countries looking to win their first ever world title.

How it's played: Cricket has two teams of 11 players that take turns batting and playing the field. Like baseball, the objective is to score more runs than the opposing team.

The field: A cricket field is made up of a large grass oval with a 66-foot-long playing area, or "pitch," in the middle. While a baseball field has boundaries that determine fair vs. foul, in cricket, the entire field is in play.

Wickets: On both ends of the pitch are wickets, which are made up of three wooden poles called "stumps" and connected on top by two horizontal wooden pieces called "bails." (see illustration below)

The batting team sends out two batsmen who always work in pairs. Their job is to score runs and defend their wickets, and they continue hitting until they get out.

If the batsman hits the ball and both he and the non-striking batsman safely run to the opposite crease, this scores one run. They try to do this as many times as possible, scoring a run each time.

If the batsman hits the ball and it reaches the boundary (aka, outfield fence) on the ground, this automatically scores four runs (no running required).

If the batsman hits the ball and it reaches the boundary on the fly (aka, a home run), this automatically scores six runs.

If the bowler bowls the ball too high, too wide or throws a "no-ball" (an illegal bowl of any kind), this automatically scores one run.

The fielding team puts all 11 players on the field, one of whom is designated as the bowler (aka, pitcher). The five main ways to get a batsman out:

Bowled out: If the bowler bowls the ball and it knocks over either a stump or a bail, the batsman has been bowled out.

Caught out: If the batsman hits the ball in the air and a fielder catches it, he's been caught out.

Run out: If a batsman runs for his partner's crease and the ball is thrown into the wickets before he gets there, he's been run out.

Leg before wicket (LBW): If the ball hits the batsman's leg and the umpire thinks it would have hit the wickets if his leg wasn't in the way, he's ruled out.

Stumped out: If the batsman swings and misses and the wicket keeper (aka, catcher) catches the ball and pushes it into the wickets before the batter can return to the crease, he's been stumped out.

Game format: After six bowled balls (aka, an "over"), the field of play flips (the pitch is symmetrical so you can play in either direction) and the bowler changes.

Cricket formats vary, but in the World Cup, an "inning" ends after 50 overs — or when the batting team has batted through the order. Once both teams have batted, the game ends and the team with the higher score wins.

How to watch the Cricket World Cup final

England and New Zealand face off on Sunday.

World

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England and New Zealand will go head-to-head in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the Cricket World Cup final" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/17470134.27405/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2JuYXRpb24uY29tLzIwMTkvNy8xMS8yMDY5MDk1NS9hdXN0cmFsaWEtdnMtZW5nbGFuZC1jcmlja2V0LXdvcmxkLWN1cC1zZW1pZmluYWwtaGktamFtZXMtaG93LWFyZS15b3U_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNibmF0aW9uLnNvY2lhbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1zYm5hdGlvbiZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPXNvY2lhbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPXR3aXR0ZXImc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/586d9e571e560373298b467cBadfd04c6" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/17470134.27405/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2JuYXRpb24uY29tLzIwMTkvNy8xMS8yMDY5MDk1NS9hdXN0cmFsaWEtdnMtZW5nbGFuZC1jcmlja2V0LXdvcmxkLWN1cC1zZW1pZmluYWwtaGktamFtZXMtaG93LWFyZS15b3U_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNibmF0aW9uLnNvY2lhbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1zYm5hdGlvbiZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPXNvY2lhbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPXR3aXR0ZXImc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/586d9e571e560373298b467cBadfd04c6" target="_blank">the Cricket World Cup final</a> on Sunday, with both countries looking to win their first ever world title.How it&#x27;s played: Cricket has two teams of 11 players that take turns batting and playing the field. Like baseball, the objective is to score more runs than the opposing team.

Harry Stevens

Stories

Exclusive: Fundraising by environmental groups spikes under Trump

David Bossie’s embarrassing retreat

All the Moon landings, from Luna to Apollo to Chang'e

Q2 fundraising: Trump still winning the money race

How to watch the Cricket World Cup final