“The press kept saying Biden has no money, and they were right,” the former vice president said during Sunday’s Democratic debate with Bernie Sanders. “Biden had no money.”
And new campaign finance disclosures filed late Friday highlight how Biden captured the Democratic nomination on momentum and message instead of organizational prowess — and the work his operation has to do to build up for a grueling general election campaign against President Donald Trump…
Meanwhile, Biden’s payroll stood at 477, as his lower fundraising totals throughout 2019 and early 2020 meant his campaign had to try to keep costs low. Sanders outspent Biden $46 million to $13 million in February — and still finished the month with more cash in the bank, $18.7 million to $12.1 million.
“As is typical, [Biden]’s got to pull in talent from other campaigns and across the party to run a general election, and he’s got to move quickly,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic strategist who served as deputy campaign manager for former President Barack Obama in 2012. “He just needs more of everything.”
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