$44 million

Sanders raises $44 million in March

By Nick Gass

Bernie Sanders broke his monthly fundraising record in March, pulling in more than $44 million, his campaign announced Friday following the midnight filing deadline with the Federal Election Commission.

"What this campaign is doing is bringing together millions of people contributing an average of just $27 each to take on a billionaire class which is so used to buying elections,” Sanders said in a statement released through the campaign. “Working people standing together are going to propel this campaign to the Democratic nomination and then the White House."

The total broke Sanders' record of $43.5 million set in February, bringing the Vermont senator's total for the first quarter to $109 million. According to the campaign, Sanders has received more than 6.5 million individual contributions from 2 million donors.

"I don't think I'm too far off to say that this is a headline few in the political establishment would have thought possible even a couple months ago: 'Bernie Sanders outraises Hillary Clinton for third month straight; aims to win Wisconsin on Tuesday,'" campaign manager Jeff Weaver wrote in an email to supporters Thursday afternoon. "If we all pull together today, we could wake up to that headline tomorrow. And based on the response already today, I think it's very possible."

Sanders' campaign had aimed to break the February mark, raising around $5 million on Thursday alone after beginning the day around $39 million.