Presidential election campaign finance, 2020
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This page provides information on campaign finance numbers drawn from reports submitted to theFederal Election Commission by noteworthy 2020 presidential candidates. It also explores historical context dating back to the 2008 presidential election.
This page covers raising and spending through the Post-General 2020 reports, which cover all funds raised and spent through November 23, 2020. Between January 1, 2017, and that date,PresidentDonald Trump (R) had raised $785 million and presumptive Democratic nomineeJoe Biden (D) had raised $1.06 billion for a combined total of $1.85 billion.
At this point in the2016 presidential election,Hillary Clinton (D) had raised an inflation-adjusted $612 million and Trump had raised $358 million, for a combined total of $970 million. Over the entire 2016 campaign cycle, Clinton raised an inflation-adjusted $614 million to Trump's $368 million, a combined total of $982 million.
Reporting deadlines
Every presidential candidate is required to register with theFederal Election Commission (FEC) and file regular financial reports detailing their fundraising and campaign spending. During presidential election years, candidates who anticipate that they will raise more than $100,000 or spend more than $100,000 must file reports on a monthly schedule. Candidates who anticipate that they will raise and spend less than $100,000 are required to file on a quarterly schedule. During non-presidential election years, all presidential candidates are required to file quarterly reports regardless of how much money they plan on raising or spending.[1]
Monthly reporting schedule
The following table details reporting deadlines for candidates who filed finance reports on a monthly schedule. BothDonald Trump (R) andJoe Biden (D) filed reports on a monthly schedule.
Quarterly reporting schedule
The following table details reporting deadlines for candidates who filed finance reports on a quarterly schedule.
Presidential candidate financial overview
Fundraising
The following chart displays Joe Biden and Donald Trump's overall fundraising over time through the Post-General 2020 campaign finance reports. Hover over each line for more specific figures.
Spending
The following chart displays Joe Biden and Donald Trump's overall spending over time through the Post-General 2020 campaign finance reports. Hover over each line for more specific figures.
Cash on hand
The following chart displays cash on hand—a measurement of how much money a campaign has currently available in its campaign accounts—for Joe Biden and Donald Trump as of each reporting deadline during the 2020 campaign cycle.
Historical comparisons
In this section, you will find fundraising comparisons for candidates and committees in the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 campaign cycles. This section looks at fundraising over each four-year presidential cycle, so "Year 1" refers to the year after the last election (2005/2009/2013/2017), "Year 2" to the midterm before the election (2006/2010/2014/2018), etc.
All figures in this section referring to previous election cycles have been inflation-adjusted. Inflation adjustment was calculated by comparing January 2017 to January of Year 1 of the previous cycle in the Bureau of Labor Statistics'CPI Inflation Calculator. This resulted in a 5% increase for figures from the 2016 campaign cycle, a 15% increase for figures from the 2012 campaign cycle, and a 27% increase for figures from the 2008 campaign cycle.
Presidential candidates
The following charts compare campaign finance figures for the major-party nominees in 2008, 2012, and 2016 to 2020 figures for Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D).
Receipts
As of the Post-General report in Year 4, the fundraising leader across the past four election cycles wasJoe Biden (D) in 2020, who had raised $1.06 billion. He was followed byBarack Obama (D) in 2008, who had raised $982 million in inflation-adjusted funds. Obama's 2012 campaign followed with $847 million in fundraising. The next-highest total wasDonald Trump's (R) $785 million in fundraising for 2020.
Cash on hand
As of the Post General report in Year 4, the campaign with the most cash on hand in the past four cycles was McCain's 2008 campaign, with $41.7 million in inflation-adjusted funds. Obama's first presidential campaign in 2008 followed with $41.5 million.
Party committees and incumbent presidents
The following chart compares combined fundraising figures for theDemocratic National Committee (DNC) andBarack Obama (D) during the 2012 campaign cycle with those for theRepublican National Committee (RNC) andDonald Trump (R) in the 2020 campaign cycle.
So far, Trump and the RNC have consistently outpaced the fundraising figures posted by Obama and the DNC. As of the Post General report in Year 4, Trump and the RNC have raised a combined $1.9 billion, while Obama and the DNC had raised a combined inflation-adjusted $1.4 billion.
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See also
- Presidential election, 2020
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Party committee fundraising, 2019-2020
- Presidential campaign fundraising, 2008-2016
