Massachusetts Senator Eliabeth Warren’s recent announcement that she was opening a so-called “exploratory” political committee to explore a possible presidential run was both a formal statement of her interest in the office – and a signal to donors to get their checkbooks. Warren was the first of a large pool of prominent politicians likely to take that step to formalize her proto-campaign; others are expected to make similar announcements in the coming weeks.
But Warren was already sitting on a substantial campaign war chest raised in recent years by her Senatorial campaign committee. How big is Warren’s stash? There are a few ways to answer the question.
Funds Raised
Between 2017 and 2018, her last Senatorial term, Warren raised about $38.5 million in donations. That’s substantially more than several other members of Congress reportedly considering a presidential run raised over the same period – including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ($23.5 million); New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand ($26.8 million) and California Senator Kamila Harris ($8.2 million).
Cash On Hand
In terms of “cash on hand,” the amount left in campaign coffers by the end of 2018, Warren’s advantage narrows.
Warren’s Senatorial campaign reported $12.5 million in cash on hand at the end of 2018, compared to $13.5 million for Sanders, $10.5 million for Gillibrand, and $1.7 million for Harris.
Donations, Large And Small
Between 2017 and 2018, slightly more than half of the funds Warren raised came from smaller, “un-itemized” donations – that’s a greater percentage of funds raised from smaller donations than was raised by the “grassroots” Senate campaign of Beto O’Rourke in Texas.
But other potential presidential contenders have raised (proportionately) more in small donations: Sanders and Harris each raised slightly more than three-fourths of donations from smaller donors.
Gillibrand, by contrast, raised just over one-third of donations from smaller, un-itemized donors.
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