Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee overcame a significant shortfall in cash with a huge haul over the summer, and it now has $141 million more than the Trump campaign and the republican National Committee, the New York Times reports.
Entering the Spring, Biden trailed Trump by $187 million, but a massive fundraising effort brought in record setting numbers. Trump began fundraising efforts immediately after his 2017 inauguration, and his campaign started spending early in the election cycle, leading to the financial gap.
The free spending from Trump meant that it had to significantly cut back on advertising. In the final four weeks of August, the Biden team spent $65.5 million on television advertising compared to just $18.7 million to the Trump camp.
To date, Trump has raised more than $1.3 billion, meaning it has spent nearly $1 billion. Many republicans have questioned the financial management of the Trump campaign, particularly given that former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale has taken tens of millions of dollars for his own companies.
Additionally, republicans have balked at campaign spending at Trump properties and paying Trump family members or concubines. In an election cycle where many swing states are leaning Democratic because of Trump’s historic unpopularity, dollars are at a premium for state races.
Democrats are also seeing an influx of cash, having raised more than $45 million upon the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.