Also worth noting: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders actually “won” more California ZIP codes than any other candidate — albeit with smaller donations.
That’s according to the latest batch of figures from the Federal Election Commission, which every three months publishes a list of itemized donations — political contributions from any California donors who have given at least $200 a year.
There still may be more than 16 months —yes, that’s 476 days — until Election Day in November 2020, but this year Californians have thrown more than $26 million at the two dozen candidates hoping to win the Democratic nomination and take on President Trump.
So, what else do the numbers tell us?
In short: The race for money largely mirrors the polls, showing that California’s donor class is gravitating toward the top five candidates. Harris, Buttigieg, Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have all jockeyed in both state and national surveys for the top spots. Combined, they have taken home more than 71% of California’s itemized donations in 2019.
Money may not count for everything in politics (just ask Jeb Bush, who spent $130 million in his unsuccessful Republican presidential bid in 2016).
But about a year out from the deadline for the Democrats to choose their presidential ticket, a boatload of cash is necessary to keep contenders in the game. It’s even essential to make it into the next debate. This week, the Democratic National Committee will announce who has made the cut for the next televised face-off on July 30. One way to qualify: garner donations from at least 65,000 people (with at least 200 from each state).
And now that California comes early in the primary pecking order, with its moved-up March 3 primary, initial financial success here could be an important indicator of who will make it through that Super Tuesday.
No surprise, the top fundraisers in California did particularly well in the biggest-giving (that is, the richest) ZIP codes in the state.
Harris and Buttigieg both saw big infusions from the tonier neighborhoods of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, with Harris, the former district attorney of San Francisco, doing particularly well in that city’s mansion-festooned Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights. Buttigieg, the first major gay candidate, had a strong showing in West Hollywood, a high-income area that also has a large LGBTQ community.
The top ten ZIP codes by total donations account for nearly 18% of all of California’s itemized donations so far this year.
Sanders, who did well in many rural swaths of the state in the 2016 primary, was the top fundraiser in more of California’s ZIP codes than any other candidate. By that measure, he led in 443 ZIP codes, beating out Harris’ count of 419 and Buttigieg’s 167.
The average Buttigieg donation was $418, and the average Harris donation was $371, while the average Sanders contribution was $66. In other words, Sanders may have been the most popular candidate in the most neighborhoods across California — just not among big donors or in the neighborhoods where big donors tend to live.
As the top collector of itemized California cash in the past quarter, Buttigieg raised roughly $3 million here in April and May, taking a massive bite out of what had been a commanding financial lead for Harris. But as of June, that monthly haul has been cut in half. That may be thanks in part to some less than flattering coverage of the mayor, who was criticized last month for his handling of a police shooting in his hometown, and to Harris’ standout performance in the first televised debate.
And while Beto O’Rourke, the former congressman from Texas who nearly defeated Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 Senate race, was clearly the flavor of the month in March, his popularity has been melting ever since.
Curious how the candidates are crafting their pitch for California voters? Read more here.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
