Pete Buttigieg raises nearly $25 million in second quarter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg raised $24.8 million from nearly 300,000 donors in the second quarter this year, more than doubling the number of individuals funding his White House bid, his campaign said on Monday.

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In a statement, Buttigieg’s campaign said more than 294,000 people donated between April and June, giving $47.42 on average. More than 230,000 were new donors, it added.

It also has more than $22.6 million cash on hand, the campaign added.

The fundraising announcement follows the Democratic Party’s first debate last week with 20 of its election hopefuls seeking to win the party’s nomination to challenge U.S. President Trump in the November 2020 election.

Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana known as Mayor Pete, has been seen as a potential break out on the national stage representing the next generation of Americans. A combat veteran and the nation’s first openly gay presidential candidate, he has also faced recent challenges after a recent fatal police shooting in his Indiana city.

The incident exposed simmering racial tensions back home and has threatened to complicate his presidential bid, pulling him off the campaign trail. He addressed the issue at last week’s debate.

More than two dozen Democrats are seeking the party’s presidential nomination. In the first quarter of 2019, many relied heavily on large campaign donations, according to a Reuters analysis of their fundraising reports.

(Writing by Susan Heavey)