Oct 3, 2019

Joe Biden's campaign says it raised $15.2 million in Q3

Former Vice President Joe Biden. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Joe Biden's campaign said on Thursday it has raised $15.2 million in Q3, setting the former vice president in 3rd place among the 2020 Democrats who have released their totals thus far.

The state of play: Sen. Bernie Sanders currently leads all 2020 Democrats in Q3 fundraising with $25.3 million, followed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg with $19.1 million. President Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee recently said they raised a whopping $125 million for Q3, setting a new presidential fundraising record.

  • The Biden campaign reported an average donation of $44.
  • Biden's campaign manager said in a Thursday press release that the campaign has gone forward with "a $6 million ad buy across television and digital in the early states."

Between the lines: Online donations helped Democrats break fundraising records in 2018 and it’s fueling a lot of 2020 candidates now. But, as the New York Times reports, Biden has scaled back on digital ads in favor of more traditional TV advertising in places like Iowa. That might be a play to his older supporters, but he would be likelier to meet young voters where they are online.

  • Biden's team has admitted he’s so far not performing well with younger voters: "It’s not any secret that Biden’s support is strong with older voters," a Biden campaign official said in September. "It’s a big base to have. But we need to do a better job and we will, because we’re not as strong among younger voters.” 
  • Meanwhile, Tara McGowan, a Democratic digital strategist, told Axios she’s "starting to see more primary candidates focus spending and messaging on Facebook to target Iowa voters specifically, which was expected but interesting to note this early."

Where other Democratic candidates stand:

Go deeper: Trump campaign, RNC say they raised record-breaking $125 million in Q3

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 44 mins ago - Politics & Policy

George Floyd protests: What you need to know

Minneapolis police block protesters at a rally on May 30 outside the state house on the fourth straight day of demonstrations against the death of George Floyd. Photo: Megan Jelinger/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Police fired tear gas during a fourth straight night of protests in Minneapolis, video from the scene shows, as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black men spread across the U.S. Saturday.

The big picture: Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody is the latest reminder of the disparities between black and white communities in the U.S. and comes as African Americans grapple with higher death rates from the coronavirus and higher unemployment from trying to stem its spread.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Axios
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. cities crack down on protests against police brutality

Demonstrators gather at Lafayette Park across from the White House to protest the death of George Floyd in Washington, D.C. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Major U.S. cities have implemented curfews and called on National Guard to mobilize as thousands of demonstrators gather across the nation to continue protesting the death of George Floyd.

The state of play: Hundreds have already been arrested as tensions continue to rise between protesters and local governments. Protesters are setting police cars on fire as freeways remain blocked and windows are shattered, per the Washington Post. Law enforcement officials are using tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse crowds and send protesters home.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump to invite Russia and other non-member G7 countries to summit

President Trump at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday. Photo: Saul Martinez/Getty Images

President Trump told reporters on Saturday evening he would postpone the G7 summit to September and expand the meeting to more nations that are not members of the Group of 7.

Details: Trump said he would invite Russia, South Korea, Australia and India to the summit, according to a pool report. "I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world. It’s a very outdated group of countries," he said.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow