President Joe Biden’s campaign effort brought in $53 million in February, a sign of accelerating donor interest over a month that saw the election rematch crystalize between Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The figure, which includes funds from Biden’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee and related joint fundraising committees, contributed to the $155 million Biden’s effort had in the bank at the end of February.
That’s the most cash any Democratic presidential candidate has ever had at this stage in the election cycle, and provides Biden a significant advantage over Trump, whose fundraising has lagged behind the Democrats’ over the course of the campaign season.
Fundraising has amounted to a bright spot for Biden’s reelection effort, even as he battles low approval ratings and some polls showing him trailing Trump in key battleground states.
Flush with cash, Biden’s team is spending this month scaling up its operation in battleground states, including opening 100 offices and hiring 350 staffers.
The president has also been traveling extensively to electoral battlegrounds as the general election campaign gets underway, with more stops in Nevada and Arizona scheduled this week. The campaign is required to reimburse the government for the cost of flying Air Force One on political travel and must cover other travel expenses.
And the campaign has invested heavily in television advertising, including a $30 million initiative in battleground states that began after Biden delivered his State of the Union address this month. The campaign said that speech generated $10 million in donations, a major sum that isn’t reflected in February’s numbers.
Biden’s fundraising efforts in February included a three-day swing in California that…
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