Inslee’s 2020 campaign raises $2.25M in first quarter

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee‘s (D) 2020 presidential campaign announced Monday that it raised $2.25 million in the first quarter of 2019.

The haul puts Inslee behind several other candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, though his campaign noted in a statement that he didn’t launch his campaign until March and argued that his daily fundraising average was better than some candidates’.

{mosads}Aisling Kerins, Inslee’s campaign manager, said in a statement that Inslee’s focus on climate change has led to “strong grassroots momentum.”

“Jay Inslee is the only 2020 candidate who will make climate change the top priority. That clear message allowed Gov. Inslee’s upstart campaign to raise money at a faster clip than many better-known candidates,” Kerins added.

The campaign also said that 75 percent of contributions it received were $25 or less, and 90 percent of contributions were $100 or less.

The $2.25 million the campaign raised includes about $2 million in funding for the primary and $285,000 for the general election, the campaign said. 

The donations reportedly include at least 200 donors in 20 states, one of the minimum thresholds to qualify for the Democratic primary debates.

Inslee’s first-quarter fundraising, as measured by the aggregate amount raised, was well behind top contenders for the nomination, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas). 

But it beat other contenders such as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, whose campaign raised $1.1 million for his presidential bid in the first quarter of 2019.