Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is boasting a major haul of nearly $25 million in second quarter funds, an impressive figure demonstrating the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Ind., has prowess as a top-tier candidate and fundraiser.
According to the Buttigieg campaign, the candidate has raised $24.8 million from 294,000 individual donors, who have each contributed an average less than $48. Further, the campaign says it has more than $22 million in cash on hand.
News of Buttigieg’s impressive second quarter numbers comes the week after the LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed the candidate during an event in New York City as well as a well-received performance during the debates in Miami.
“Mayor Pete is competing in the polls and in fundraising with the best-known names in American politics – placing him among the strongest contenders for the Democratic nomination,” Victory Fund spokesperson Elliot Imse said. “LGBTQ donors helped fuel the early months of his candidacy, but his appeal now extends far beyond our community, as these latest fundraising numbers show. As more Americans hear his message on the campaign trail and from the debate stage, we believe this momentum will accelerate.”
Buttigieg isn’t the only openly gay candidate with impressive fundraising numbers.
The campaign for Daniel Baer, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe and is now running for U.S. Senate in Colorado, announced a second-quarter haul of $1.35 million, including $1.1 million in total contributions.
According to the Baer campaign, both numbers are the highest ever in the first quarterly report for an openly LGBT candidate for either U.S. House or U.S. Senate.
