Boston rains cash on Mayor Pete
Boston is raining cash on Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, despite having two home-state candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary.
In his latest foray into Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Seth Moulton’s Massachusetts backyard, Buttigieg raised close to $1 million Thursday during a visit to Boston, according to several people familiar with his fundraising.
The 37-year-old South Bend, Ind., mayor held two fundraisers — a grassroots event and a big-ticket dinner at Fenway Park. The fundraiser was hosted by Jack Connors Jr., a Democrat who chaired GOP Gov. Charlie Baker’s reelection campaign; Sharon McNally, president of Camp Harbor View; and Bryan Rafanelli, an event planner, prominent gay political donor and Hillary Clinton ally.
Buttigieg, who had already held several fundraisers in and around Boston this election cycle, plans to return to Massachusetts over the Fourth of July holiday to raise money on Cape Cod. Earlier this year, Buttigieg raised close to $150,000 at a fundraiser hosted at the Boston home of Rafanelli and his partner, Mark Walsh.
His latest cash haul comes as the 2020 field gets ready to close the books on the second fundraising quarter of the year, which ends June 30. His campaign has told top donors he raised $7 million in the month of April alone — and putting up a big fundraising number could solidify Buttigieg’s place as a top-tier contender.
The candidate known as “Mayor Pete” has popularity in Boston that is the envy of local pols. He drew more than 1,000 people to Northeastern University in early April, just as he was gaining momentum, and packed 850 people into the Somerville Theatre for a grassroots fundraiser weeks later.
Buttigieg is one of the few top-tier presidential candidates holding traditional fundraisers this year. Warren swore off holding big-dollar events, even as her home state functions as a piggy bank for other 2020 Democrats. Former Vice President Joe Biden held two fundraisers in Boston at the beginning of June, and California Sen. Kamala Harris has been courting donors in Boston as well.
Buttigieg raised more than $162,000 from Massachusetts zip codes in the first quarter of 2019, largely from Boston, its wealthy suburbs and areas near Cape Cod. Harris raised around $127,000 from Massachusetts zip codes in the first quarter, and Warren raised around $273,000 from zip codes in her home state in that time frame, which ended March 31.
Next month, Buttigieg has a half-dozen New England fundraisers planned. He’ll raise money in Provincetown on July 5, then hold two events in Nantucket and two events on Martha's Vineyard the next day. Several days later, Buttigieg will hold an evening reception in Holderness, N.H.
The hosts of Thursday night's fundraiser had said their goal was to raise $1 million when they sent out an invitation last month. “We believe that Mayor Pete Buttigieg just might be the right person to turn the ship around. He is the first to say that his candidacy is ‘improbable’ but there is something about him that inspires courage, hope and optimism,” hosts wrote in that invitation.
Around 100 people attended the big dollar event — tickets cost $2,800 each — which was held in a suite overlooking home plate at Fenway Park. Buttigieg, who took questions for a half-hour, spoke about civil rights, abortion rights, the cost of college, deficit reduction and the recent police shooting in South Bend, according to an attendee.
Buttigieg also held a grassroots event at John Hancock Hall in Boston, attended by about 500 people. He was introduced by former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a gay-focused political action committee. Ticket prices ranged from $25 to $1,000 for that event.
Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.
