MANCHESTER, n.h. — One day after raising $1.5 million in donations, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was out to convince supporters on Saturday he could raise the $40 million to $50 million to run a competitive presidential primary campaign.
“The question to me is not whether we can raise as much money as our opponents — we can — the question is whether we can raise enough money to run a strong, credible and winning campaign,” Sanders said. “And based on this first day, I believe that we can.”
Sanders, an independent, announced Thursday that he will run in the Democratic presidential primary, making him Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first official primary opponent.
A self-described “democratic socialist,” Sanders plans to focus heavily on income inequality, climate change and reforming the campaign finance system.
After addressing supporters at a house party, he spoke Saturday afternoon to the New Hampshire chapter of the AFL-CIO.
Diane St. Germain, a New Hampshire voter, said she hopes Sanders pushes Clinton to the left.
“If this does nothing but do that for Hillary, that would cause me to possibly consider her,” St. Germain said.
