Michael Bennet to open fundraisers to press
December 19, 2019
Michael Bennet will begin allowing the press into his private fundraisers, joining two fellow Democratic presidential who have opened their high-dollar events to public scrutiny.
Pete Buttigieg, under intense pressure from Elizabeth Warren and Democratic activists, announced last week that he would be opening his fundraisers and disclosing his top donors and fundraisers. Joe Biden has opened his fundraisers to the press since the beginning of his campaign. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, don't hold high-dollar fundraising events.
Bennet, who is languishing at the bottom of national and early-state polling, was not facing particularly loud pressure or scrutiny about his fundraising practices. But the Colorado senator has decided to open his events amid a broader debate in the Democratic Party about how money is raised.
“As someone who has won two national races in a swing state, I know you have to say the same thing in the primary that you say in the general election, and the same thing in rural areas that you say in urban ones. The same principle applies to all of my events, where I typically always hold town-hall style Q&A," Bennet said in a statement shared with POLITICO. "That’s why I’m happy to open up my fundraisers to the press, and I urge all of my fellow candidates to do the same.”
Bennet's campaign will "pool" its private events, allowing one reporter to attend the event and email a report of what happened to others covering the campaign.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
