Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:51 pm
It seems that neither Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders wants the label of front runner before Christmas. The Democratic campaigns each sent out pitches downplaying their chances of fundraising success.
The Clinton campaign sent out a clever pitch that sought to use Sanders’ success with small donors to motivate their supporters:
Bernie Sanders‘ campaign is on track to outraise us this month.
….
They say they’ve brought in more individual contributions than any candidate has ever had at this point in a primary. That means two things: (1) more of his supporters are chipping in to fund his campaign, even though we know we have more support; and (2) when we go into our first contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, we might not have the resources we’ll need to really compete.
….
The fact is, many of our supporters don’t think this campaign needs any help. If you’re one of those people, I hate to say it, but you’re wrong. We’re completely reliant on you and your support.
The Sanders campaign responded to the Clinton email with their own twist on the message, “First, we have no idea if we will raise more money this quarter than the Clinton campaign. Probably not. What we do know is that we have received more than 2.3 million contributions averaging less than $30 apiece. This is greater than any candidate in history at this point in a White House campaign. We are very gratified by that outpouring of grassroots support from middle- class and working families in this country. Second, while we may or may not raise more money than the Clinton campaign, what is certain is that they will have more total money because they have established super PACs which are raising money from millionaires and billionaires.”
What we have here is a shrewd battle of downplaying expectations between the top two Democratic campaigns. Both campaigns could turn out to be correct. Sen. Sanders might raise more money in December, but former Sec. Clinton will have more money because of super PAC support.
It was an extremely crafty move by the Clinton campaign to use the fundraising success of Sanders to motivate their supporters. There has always been one concern, which is the same for all front runners, and that is the need to keep their supporters motivated. The hope on the part of the Clinton team is that their supporters get an extra jolt from the email.
Both Clinton and Sanders supporters that I have seen in action are extremely fired up and motivated. Neither campaign appears to want front-runner status, so the result is an odd bit of jousting where each campaign uses the threat of being behind as a motivational tool.
Everyone on the Democratic side understands that both Clinton and Sanders are formidable candidates. Republicans would kill to have the kind of support that Clinton and Sanders enjoy behind a candidate who could win.
The Democratic primary has featured less bluster and conflict, but it has been endlessly fascinating thanks to Hillary Clinton’s mistake-free campaign and the rise of Bernie Sanders.
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