Only a little more than a week after Elizabeth Warren boasted about her grassroots fundraising at a Democratic debate, her campaign admitted it is falling short.
In an email to supporters, the Warren campaign said it has raised less money than in the previous quarter.
"So far this quarter, we've raised a little over $17 million. That's a good chunk behind where we were at this time last quarter," the email says, according to CNBC. If that holds, it would be about a 30% drop from her third-quarter total of roughly $25 million.
Campaigns frequently send these kinds of last-minute appeals just before the Federal Election Commission reporting deadlines. In this case, Tuesday will be the deadline for both the fourth quarter and the annual campaign finance reports.
But it's particularly bad timing for Warren, who sparred with South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg last week over his reliance on big donors, especially a fundraiser held in a "wine cave" in California. Warren has eschewed fundraisers with big donors, relying instead on small, mostly online donations, though she accepts $2,800 donations from individuals, the maximum a person can contribute.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is campaigning in Iowa on Friday and Saturday. Bernie Sanders is in New Hampshire on Friday and in Iowa next week. Warren is campaigning in Iowa on Saturday and Sunday. Buttigieg is in Iowa Saturday through Monday.
Five Democratic candidates _ Warren, Sanders, Biden, Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar _ have qualified for the next debate, on Jan. 14, in Iowa.
(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)
