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News > U.S.

US Presidential Candidate Beto O'Rourke Raises $6M in 24 Hours

  • Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Beto O'Rourke gestures as he concedes to Senator Ted Cruz at his midterm election night party in El Paso, Texas, U.S., November 6, 2018

    Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Beto O'Rourke gestures as he concedes to Senator Ted Cruz at his midterm election night party in El Paso, Texas, U.S., November 6, 2018 | Photo: Reuters

Published 19 March 2019
Opinion

The Texas Democrat, Beto O'Rourke, raked in over US$6.1 million in online donations from all 50 states and territories on the first day of his presidential campaign.

Beto O'Rourke raised US$6.1 million for his official run to the White House in his first 24 hours as a candidate, beating every other 2020 Democrat who has disclosed first-day figures, according to his campaign.

RELATED: 
Bernie Sanders Raises $4M Just 12 Hours After Announcing Candidacy

He surpasses Bernie Sanders who raised US$5.9 million in the first 24 hours of his 2020 campaign.

O'Rourke's campaign said the US$6.1 million came from online contributions.

“In just 24 hours, Americans across this country came together to prove that it is possible to run a true grassroots campaign for president – a campaign by all of us, for all of us, that answers not to the Pacs (Political Action Committees), corporations and special interests but to the people,” O’Rourke said in a statement.

Sanders held the previous one-day record among 2020 Democrats and his campaign said he raised about $10 million by the end of his campaign's first week.

Some other Democrats showed smaller initial totals. Senator Kamala Harris' campaign said she raised more than US$1.5 million in the first 24 hours. Her Senate colleague Elizabeth Warren drew more than US$299,000 the day she launched her exploratory committee, Reuters reported.

However, political observers in the U.S. criticize O'Rourke for lack concrete policy ideas, while others point to the fact that he has come out against single-buyer medical insurance in the United States, which the majority

As the Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson observed a few months ago “When it comes to many of the biggest policy issues facing the country today, O’Rourke’s default stance is to call for a debate.”

O'Rourke also has promoted "Medicare for America," saying that "it complements what already exists with the need that we have for millions of Americans who do not have insurance and ensures that each of them can enroll in Medicare."

He also suggested, "additional investments in that program so it becomes the program of choice and people who have private insurance migrate over to the Medicare system."

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