Sanders Endorsement Nets Pearson $60K for State Senate Bid

[eridani]

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2016/05/27/sanders-endorsement-nets-pearson-60k-for-state-senate-bid

Within hours, Sanders had emailed his massive list of donors asking for donations to Pearson's campaign and those of seven other state legislative candidates — from South Carolina to South Dakota. That night, as Pearson was walking to dinner, he logged in to his online fundraising platform and found that the appeal had already generated $30,000 in donations.

"I just about fell over," he said. "I was totally stunned."

By Friday afternoon, that number had doubled: According to Pearson, 12,185 Sanders supporters had donated $60,500 to his campaign. That's far more than candidates typically spend to compete in the six-member Chittenden County Senate district — and more than the roughly $40,000 Pearson had hoped to raise.

"What it means for me is now I don't have to spend time asking a small number of donors for big checks. That's not exactly comfortable for me," he said, noting that he's long fought for public election financing. "I feel pretty great to have Bernie financing. He has helped crowd-source my campaign and fund it, and that's pretty amazing."

Pearson's early fundraising success likely demonstrates just how powerful Sanders will remain even if he fails to win the Democratic nomination. Throughout his campaign, the Vermont senator has raised more than $212 million from more than 2.4 million individuals, making his list of donor email addresses among the most valuable in American politics.

[larkrake]

2. We knew he would when able, and his choices are suitable for the change we need