Column: Elizabeth Warren Failing Fundraising Fight for 2020

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A columnist at the Boston Herald believes that Democrat hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is losing the fundraising fight with other contenders and that could result in a failed campaign.

“This is how far Elizabeth Warren’s star has fallen: she had a head start over all of her main presidential rivals, a full three months to woo donors and raise money, and she is trailing someone who’s not even officially in the race,” the columnist wrote, referring to former Vice President Joe Biden who has consistently been No. 1 in polls despite the fact that he has not officially joined the race.

A Real Clear Politics poll posted on Thursday shows Warren in fourth place in her neighboring and blue state of New Hampshire behind Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA).

And it may have something to do with the columnist’s claim that she is way behind her rivals in raising money.

Warren raised $6 million in the first quarter of 2019 — $1 million less than South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg who has yet to mark the official start of his presidential run.

In contrast, the Herald columnist points out, Sanders raised $18 million and Harris doubled Warren’s first quarter with $12 million in her first quarter.

“The Cambridge law professor, the onetime liberal darling, barely beat out Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who raised $5 million,” the Herald column said. “Yes, that household name, Amy Klobuchar.”

More bad news regarding Warren’s war chest: In the same quarter that she raised $6 million she spent $5 million and the only reason she has $10 million in campaign cash is that she moved money from her Senate to her presidential campaign.

The Herald reported:

Experts predict that successful candidates will need to raise at least $100 million to compete in big states such as California, and there’s no indication Warren can come close to that.

It’s true that money doesn’t buy you a victory in politics, but in a primary campaign with several dozen candidates, a lack of money will get you steamrolled.

Warren’s campaign sent out a snitty little email to supporters yesterday, taking a shot at former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who ended up raising more than $9.4 million despite being in the race just a few weeks.

“One of the other candidates who had more or less the same number of donations raised 55 percent more money because of big-dollar contributions,” Warren campaign manager Roger Lau wrote in the email.

The Herald columnist called Warren’s campaign “underachieving overall” and noted the debacle over her Native American heritage right before she announced her presidential run.

“It’s time for Warren to get off her high horse and start raising serious cash — whether it’s from Joe Blow or Richie Rich. If she continues on this pace, she won’t even make it past New Hampshire,” the Herald column concluded.

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