Strong third-quarter

Buttigieg posts strong third-quarter cash haul, but falls short of Q2 high mark

His campaign brought in $19.1 million in the last three months.

By ELENA SCHNEIDER

Pete Buttigieg, who was the top fundraiser in the Democratic presidential primary from April through June, brought in another $19.1 million in the last three months.

Buttigieg's haul is expected once again to be among the highest Democratic totals this quarter. But the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s most recent take did not hit the high mark he set in the second quarter, when he led the field with $24.8 million raised.

During the third quarter, the Buttigieg campaign said it has 580,000 total contributors, a jump of about 182,000 new contributors since the previous quarter. The average contribution during the fundraising period was $32. Buttigieg’s campaign did not release a cash on hand total.

“Pete continues to stand out as having the vision and leadership voters know we need to tackle the urgent problems facing our country. It also positions us solidly as one of the top three fundraisers in this race,” said Mike Schmuhl, the Buttigieg campaign manager, in a memo released Tuesday morning. “We will have the resources to go the full distance, and to win, the 2020 nominating contests.”

Buttigieg’s announcement will kick off a series of fundraising declarations from rivals as the Democratic field counts their money after the third quarter, which ended Monday night. And while the summer fundraising period is often slower than others, as donors take vacations and check out from politics, the rising importance of digital fundraising could give some candidates an opportunity to build on big second-quarter totals.

Vice President Joe Biden was the only other candidate besides Buttigieg to crack $20 million in the second quarter, bringing in $21.5 million following his entry into the race. Sens. Elizabeth Warren ($19.1 million) and Bernie Sanders ($18 million) were close behind, followed by Kamala Harris ($12 million) — the only other candidate to break eight figures in the spring.

Candidates must file FEC disclosures detailing their third-quarter fundraising and spending by October 15.

Buttigieg's fundraising announcement comes amid an all-out push by the mayor's campaign to invest more heavily in early-state infrastructure. Buttigieg spent more than 20 percent of the quarter on the ground in Iowa, and his campaign opened 42 field offices across the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The campaign also expanded its staffing footprint in the early states over the summer.