Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang raised over $16.5 million during the fourth and final quarter of 2019, which is a 165 percent jump from the last quarter’s haul of $10 million. The recent fundraising haul brings the campaign’s total number of donors to 400,000, for over 1 million contributions.
The campaign had its most massive single-day haul on December 31, raising more than $1.3 million and smashing the previous record of almost $750,000 raised on November 30.
“At every turn in this race, Andrew Yang continues to exceed expectations whether it’s in terms of grassroots fundraising, making the debates, early state polling, or the ability to draw big crowds,” campaign chief Nick Ryan said in a press release. “What we have achieved together to date through the humanity first values of this campaign, now sets us up to compete through the early-state primaries, Super Tuesday, and beyond.”
Yang’s campaign initially set a goal of $3 million for the period of December 23 until the end of the year. The goal was raised to $3.5 million on deadline day and again to $4 million amid an unexpectedly high amount of donations.
“In the final 48 hours until the deadline, the campaign added more than 10,000 new donors,” the campaign said in a statement.
The average donation to Yang’s campaign is reportedly $30, with over 98 percent of donations coming in under $200 and over 75 percent of the total contributions coming from this group.
According to the campaign, the $16.5 million will be funneled into television and digital ads, campaign infrastructure in early primary states, and on-ground staff.
#YangGang2020 was very pleased that @AndrewYang hit over $4 million. pic.twitter.com/iuEvVkoqMe
— Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) January 1, 2020
Despite his fundraising success, Yang still needs 5 percent or higher in three more DNC-approved polls to make the January debate, with the deadline looming on January 10. The 44-year-old serial entrepreneur has publicly called for the DNC to commission more early state qualifying polls, noting that it has been more than a month since such polls were commissioned in early states like New Hampshire, Iowa, or Nevada.
Yang’s call has been supported by fellow Democratic presidential candidates Tom Steyer and Cory Booker, both of whom are not on track to qualify for the upcoming debate.
“This race has changed a lot since then and there should be more early state polls if that’s required to get in the debates,” Booker tweeted in response to Yang’s call.
The DNC ultimately rejected Yang’s request, which prompted his supporters to trend #PollThePeople and pressure DNC chair, Tom Perez, to reconsider.
As of now, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar have all qualified for the seventh debate.