Bernie Sanders Crushes Third Quarter Fundraising with $25 Million Haul

Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders raised a gargantuan $25.3 million in the third quarter, despite having slipped into third place in most polls during the period.

The Sanders campaign is one of the first to report third quarter totals, and it’s easy to see why. Although Sanders lost some ground in polls to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in polls during the last three months, his fundraising has actually increased dramatically. Sanders raised $18.2 million in the second quarter and has bested that total by $7 mil this time around.

And while Warren has been steadily rising in Democratic primary polls, Sanders has begun to quietly rebound over the past several weeks.

The Sanders campaign touted the massive take, but also the small average contribution:

Sanders spokesman Mike Casca also told CNN on Tuesday that about 130,000 people had signed up to make monthly recurring contributions and that 99.9% of its total donor base had not yet given the individual maximum of $2,800 per election — further signs that Sanders is well-positioned to keep up his current fundraising pace.

Individuals who listed their occupation as “teacher” were the most frequent donors to Sanders, according to the campaign, which said “the three most common employers (of its contributors) were Starbucks, Amazon and Walmart.”

The average donation during the third quarter, the campaign said, was $18.07. Since entering the race in February, Sanders has raised $61.5 million, according to the statement. He also transferred an additional $2.6 million to his presidential coffers from other campaign accounts during the third quarter.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign has also reported 3rd quarter numbers, and although they raked in $19.1 million, the campaign fell well short of its $24.9 million 2nd quarter haul.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.