Fundraising is often a good measuring stick regarding the health of a political campaign, and for Elizabeth Warren, the prognosis is not so good. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Warren raised $21.2 million, a significant drop from the $24.7 million she raised in the third quarter.
Warren’s take was less than frontrunner Joe Biden, who raised $22.7 million, Pete Buttigieg, who raised $24.7 million, and a lot less than her closest ideological rival Bernie Sanders, who raised a jaw-dropping $34.5 million during the same period. Andrew Yang and Amy Klobuchar, while still trailing Warren, are surging forward in fundraising and polling while Warren seems to be stuck in place.
Warren’s fundraising dropped despite a New Year’s Eve e-mail, in which she begged supporters for help. “So far this quarter, we’ve raised a little over $17 million,” Warren’s e-mail read. “That’s a good chunk behind where we were last quarter.”
Not that it matters to the Democrats, but the Trump campaign raised $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
These numbers, along with dropping poll numbers in early primary states, seem to show a campaign which is stalling, just when things are about to heat up. The far Left seems to be coalescing behind Sanders, leaving Warren falling back to the pack.
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This makes the February 3 Iowa caucuses very important to Warren. Her campaign themes of leftist populism, class warfare, and taxing the wealthy to pay for social programs played very well in the Hawkeye State at first, and her political organization in the state is second-to-none. She has done numerous town halls across the state. Warren has clearly done her homework when it comes to Iowa.
That being said, anything but a win or an extremely close loss in Iowa and Warren’s national campaign funding is likely to dry up, leaving her without money and few options other than to give up.
As recently as October, Warren held a brief lead in national polling. Unfortunately for Warren, questions began to arise on just how her “Medicare for All” healthcare scheme would be paid for and she’s been slipping ever since.
Warren has been very vocal in claiming that her campaign is a “grass roots” effort, and has eschewed events with wealthy donors. In the December 19 debate, Warren even derided Buttigieg for hosting such an event for wealthy donors in a California wine cave.
Perhaps Warren should now be looking for the rich to pay their fair share when it comes to her campaign.
The Warren campaign’s possible demise owing to money constraints might be just the thing the far left in America is looking for. If Warren drops out early, she could plausibly throw her support behind the already surging Bernie Sanders. The two senators are friends and also very close ideologically.
Some have even suggested that the two would make the perfect left-wing presidential ticket should Sanders be able to wrest the nomination away from Joe Biden and the rest of the challengers.
“I think that would be the dream of all progressives,” said “squad” member Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of the potential Sanders/Warren team. “When you’re going into a battlefield, you want your best players to be on the field starting. And they are our best.”
So, Warren’s decline in fundraising and polling may not signal the end of her presidential aspirations after all. As vice-president to a potential 79-year-old President Bernie Sanders, she would be a heartbeat away from the oval office. And with Sanders’ heart, that might not be far at all.
Photo: AP Images
James Murphy is a freelance journalist who writes on a variety of subjects with a primary focus on the ongoing anthropogenic climate-change hoax and cultural issues. He can be reached at [email protected].
