Inslee polling behind ‘someone else’ but raises $2.25 million
Apr 15, 2019, 3:38 PM
(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A recent Emerson poll shows Washington Gov. Jay Inslee still polling at zero percent for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, putting him behind the 2 percent of respondents who voiced their support for “someone else.”
Despite the low poll numbers, the Inslee campaign is boasting that its fundraising effort is outpacing other Democratic presidential hopefuls, taking in $2.25 million in its first month.
RELATED: 73 percent of voters haven’t heard of Jay Inslee
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The poll has Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as the early front runner at 29 percent, followed by Joe Biden at 24 percent. Polling in third at 9 percent is South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg previously polled at zero percent as recently as mid-February.
For Inslee, this marks yet another poll where the Washington governor has failed to garner recognition from Democratic voters. He sat under 1 percent of support in a late-March Quinnipiac poll, and at 0 percent in a late-February Morning Consult poll. A total of 73 percent of respondents in a CNN poll noted that they had never heard of him.
The Emerson poll arrives on the heels of a week-long media blitz, where the Washington governor participated in a CNN town hall, spoke at Columbia University’s Global Energy Summit in New York, and appeared on both MSNBC and CBS. He previously appeared on The Daily Show.
Inslee campaign raises $2.25 million
Gov. Inslee needs to poll at 1 percent or more in at least three polls — and receive donations from at least 65,000 donors across 20 or more states — in order to qualify for a spot on the Democratic debate stage. The campaign says it’s met the latter requirement.
Since Inslee announced his presidential campaign on March 1, the campaign raised more than $2.25 million.
“This first-month fundraising shows strong grassroots momentum for Gov. Inslee’s message of defeating climate change,” said campaign manager Aisling Kerins. “Jay Inslee is the only 2020 candidate who will make climate change the top priority. That clear message allowed Gov. Inslee’s upstart campaign to raise money at a faster clip than many better-known candidates. We will continue to build momentum, as voters look for a candidate who will prioritize climate change and who has the executive experience to defeat Trump and advance a progressive agenda in the White House.”
The campaign states that the money is largely coming from grassroots donors. According to campaign officials, Inslee is “outpacing” other Democratic candidates such as Kirsten Gillibrand who took in $3 million in two and a half months or Elizabeth Warren who garnered $6 million in three months.
- 75 percent of contributions are $25 or below; and 95 percent of donations are $100 or under.
- The $2.25 million includes about $2 million for primary election funding and $285,000 in general election funding.
- Campaign officials state that Inslee has met a requirement for the DNC debates — 200 donors in 20 different states.
Vox reporting has expanded on two primary debate requirements. A candidate must register at least 1 percent support across three polls between January 1 and two weeks before the debate. Those polls must be performed by major news organizations or qualifying universities. Or a campaign must receive donations from at least 65,000 donors, a minimum of 20 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.
