Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) revealed on Monday that his campaign finally raised the nearly two million that he needed in order to continue his bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
“I have some incredible news, team. Last night at 8:16 p.m., we reached our $1.7 million goal,” Booker tweeted. “I’m so grateful that at the most critical moment of this campaign, thousands of people in all 50 states came together to give us the boost we needed.”
I have some incredible news, team. Last night at 8:16 p.m., we reached our $1.7 million goal. I’m so grateful that at the most critical moment of this campaign, thousands of people in all 50 states came together to give us the boost we needed. pic.twitter.com/oi8zu8PkyF
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 30, 2019
The announcement comes nearly two weeks after Booker’s campaign gave supporters an ultimatum to raise $1.7 million in donations during the third quarter or else he would be forced to end his White House bid.
The New Jersey senator has been lagging behind his Democratic opponents in both fundraising and polling. To date, Booker has not broken above 5% support in any nationally recognized polls and is hovering just under 2% on average, according to Real Clear Politics.
“I do not believe people should stay in this just to stay in it. You either have a trajectory to win or not, and right now if we do not raise $1.7 million we won’t be able to make the investments necessary,” Booker told The Associate Press in September. “If we do not have a pathway to win, we should get out of this race.”
Booker’s plea for donations prompted many of his Democratic colleagues and supporters to rally up fundraising support.
“In our darkest hours, friendship illuminates the shadows. This is not an endorsement; however, I’ve been honored to call [Booker] my friend,” said failed Georgia Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams. “He works tirelessly for a renewal of America [and] he stands up for what’s right. Let’s keep his light shining.”
Other Democratic politicians, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), took to their own Twitter accounts to plug Booker’s ActBlue fundraising website, as did celebrities like Jon Bon Jovi. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton even jumped onto a phone call with Booker’s entire staff on Sunday to encourage the team.
The Democratic presidential hopeful raised approximately $4.5 million during the second quarter of 2019 and spent nearly $1 million of the haul. His campaign has not yet reported his total third quarter fundraising to the Federal Election Commission, but candidates have until October 15 to file third quarter declarations.
However, only hours after the initial announcement, Booker updated his Twitter followers that the campaign hit the $2 million mark.
“Big news, everyone — we just surpassed our increased $2 million goal! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Booker said. “Six and a half more hours until our end-of-quarter fundraising deadline. Let’s keep the momentum going!”
Addisu Demissie, Booker’s campaign manager, stated that the funds would go toward hiring additional staff and fighting to expand ballot access in key states, among some other things.
“Later today, [Booker’s 2020 campaign] will release details about the investments in growth we’ll be making to win, thanks to our successful end-of-quarter fundraising call to action,” Demissie said. “We’re also excited to report that [the third quarter] was our best fundraising quarter so far — by a considerable margin.”