Gillibrand raises $2.3 million in second quarter

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) raised $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2019, her campaign said, a fundraising haul that puts her well behind the Democratic presidential contest’s slate of top-tier contenders.

In a memo sent to reporters on Monday, Gillibrand’s campaign said the average donation size over the past three months was $15 and that 95 percent of contributions were under $50. Gillibrand ended the quarter with more than $8.2 million on hand, her campaign said.

Among Gillibrand’s online donors, 65 percent identified as women, her campaign said.

{mosads}Gillibrand hasn’t yet met the 130,000-donor threshold she’ll need to qualify for the third Democratic debate in September, though her campaign said she was “on pace” to hit the mark. 

Gillibrand’s fundraising haul puts her well behind a handful of other candidates in the primary field who raked in eight-digit totals over the past three months. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, for instance, brought in $24.8 million, while former Vice President Joe Biden raised $21.5 million.

Among Gillibrand’s Senate colleagues in the presidential contest, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) raised the most with $19 million, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finished the quarter with roughly $18 million. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) raised nearly $12 million.

The second-quarter fundraising numbers cover the period from April 1 to June 30. Candidates have until midnight to file their reports with the Federal Election Commission.

While Gillibrand has built up a relatively high profile in the Senate, her presidential campaign has so far struggled to gain the kind of momentum that other candidates such as Buttigieg and Warren have seen in recent months. 

The New York senator has put women’s issues at the center of her campaign, betting that robust support from women can help her beat expectations when voting in the nominating contests begins next year.

“No other 2020 candidate is as fierce an advocate for women and families than Kirsten,” her campaign memo reads, noting that she has “carved out a distinct lane in a crowded” primary field.