Beto O’Rourke Raised a Stunning $6.1 Million in the First 24 Hours of His Campaign

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Beto O’Rourke raised a massive $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of launching his presidential bid, his campaign announced Monday morning, outpacing the launch day haul of every other candidate for the Democratic nomination, including Bernie Sanders.

“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, corporations, and special interests but to the people,” O’Rourke said in a statement.

The stunning figure comes after some expressed skepticism at O’Rourke’s decision to enter the already-crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls last week. O’Rourke’s roll-out specifically drew criticism on social media, with some saying his video announcement hinted of sexism. Others, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, notably eye-rolled O’Rourke’s “born to run” quote from the Vanity Fair cover story that coincided his announcement.

But O’Rourke’s fundraising announcement on Monday will likely dispel some of the initial cynicism.

For more on what you need to know about O’Rourke’s candidacy—including how he transformed fundraising models and why it may ultimately be best not to overthink his loss to Sen. Ted Cruz—head to our story here.