Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised $4.8 million for her Democratic presidential campaign in the third quarter — more than her previous tally but much less than some of her rivals.
"We continue to build momentum and a strong grassroots operation that can win in 2020," Klobuchar campaign manager Justin Buoen said in a statement on Monday.
She aired her first TV ad last week. "We have money in the bank and that is why we are running ads," she said on Sunday in Manchester, N.H.
Klobuchar's money came from more than 105,000 donors, pushing the Minnesota senator past the 165,000 individual donors needed to qualify for November's debate.
She hasn't yet met the polling requirement of 3% support in four early-voting state or national polls or 5% in two polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina. Klobuchar has qualified for next Tuesday's debate in Ohio.
In the second quarter, Klobuchar collected $3.87 million. She joined the race in February and reported raising $5.2 million in the first seven weeks of her presidential campaign.
Details about her spending and available cash were not released Monday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outpaced the rest of the Democratic field in third-quarter donations, raising $25.3 million from 1.4 million people, followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with $24.6 million.
Other totals: $19.1 million for South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; $15.2 million for former Vice President Joe Biden; $11.6 million for California Sen. Kamala Harris.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey raised about $6 million after announcing that he needed $1.7 million in the last few days of September or he would have to drop out of the 2020 race. He has set an October goal of $3 million.
"People are going to use different fundraising pitches. I wouldn't have used that one. You know why? Because I am staying in this race until the end," Klobuchar said Sunday. "And I'm not going to put out threats about getting out of it."
The deadline for candidates to file fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission is next Tuesday.
Among others who have already announced their third-quarter hauls, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock raised almost $2.3 million and Sen. Michael Bennet collected $2.1 million.
Fundraising is considered a measure of national appeal and voter enthusiasm. Biden's third-quarter total was about $6 million less than he raised in the second quarter and was interpreted as a troubling sign for his campaign.
Third-quarter fundraising by President Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee — $125 million — dwarfed the Democratic candidates' totals.
Judy Keen • 612-673-4234
