By Ginger Gibson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren raised $19.1 million (£15.26 million) in the second quarter of the year, placing her in the top three for the period among top-tier rivals, her campaign announced in an email to supporters on Monday.
Earlier this year, Warren went farther than her rivals who have mostly refused to take money from corporate lobbyists, and swore off conducting high-dollar fundraisers. She has raised nearly all of her money through online donations.
The Massachusetts senator has seen her campaign on the rise in recent weeks, climbing in the opinion polls to secure a position in the top five.
The top second-quarter fundraising hauls among Democratic candidates reported so far have been by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who raised $24.8 million, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who raised $21.5 million.
Warren's campaign reported she received 683,000 donations from 384,000 different donors. Of those, 80% donated for the first time in the second quarter.
"A lot of eyes are on this campaign right now," Roger Lau, Warren's campaign manager, wrote in an email to supporters announcing the totals. "We need to seize every opportunity we can to reach as many people as possible — and make every possible investment in grassroots organising, person-to-person and vote by vote."
More than two dozen Democrats are competing for the party's nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. Campaign cash will be critical to allow candidates to stay competitive.
Warren outraised U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who raised $18 million, and Kamala Harris of California, who raised $12 million.
Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee last week said they had raised a combined $105 million in the second quarter for Trump’s re-election effort.
(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Bill Berkrot)