President Donald Trump has managed to raise over $100 million to support his bid for re-election in 2020. This is a huge financial advantage over potential contenders from the Democratic Party. A number of Democrats have expressed their desire to challenge Trump in 2020 but so far no single candidate has emerged from the crowded field. Trump’s campaign raised over $18 million jointly with the Republican National Committee in the July to September quarter alone. So far the funds stand at $106 million and more could still be raised over the coming months. After all, the 2020 election is still 2 years away and a lot can happen between now and then.
Trump’s unorthodox style in politics has challenged many political rules. In fact, as soon as he was sworn into office back in 2017, the President filed for re-election immediately. This is quite unusual in the US. In addition to this, Trump has been on the campaign trail not just on the run-up to the midterms but also during the first few months of his presidency. The fundraising has also started early compared to other presidents. For example, former president Barack Obama waited until the last year of his term to start fundraising.
The $106 million raised so far has largely come from small donors. The filings with the Federal Election Commission show that donations of less than $200 accounted for 98% of the total money raised. This was confirmed by Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and head of his 2020 re-election team. Lara said that the president’s track record for the months he has been in office has inspired grass root Americans to respond with donations of all amounts. Lara also called on Trump supporters to turn up in large numbers in the upcoming midterms and support the president in his agenda.
The 2020 race has not yet shaped up definitively. Although it’s now confirmed that Trump will run on the GOP ticket, we still don’t know yet who will be the ultimate challenger. Many Democrats have expressed their intention to rival the president including Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders etc. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may also run for the Democratic ticket.
However, the focus as for now for the Democrats is to retake the house and possibly the Senate. Although the Senate would be relatively harder to flip, there’s increasing confidence that the party is well on its course to regain the majority in the House. This will, of course, complicate things for the Trump administration and may be used as a momentum builder on the run up to the 2020 election.
President Trump has expressed confidence a number of times that he will easily win. He sees no real challenger from the Democratic Party so far but this could change in the months ahead. A recent poll conducted by CNN showed that former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in popularity among Democratic voters and could enter the presidential race in 2020. But with the $100 million war chest that Trump now has, it won’t be easy to compete with him.
