Mr. O’Rourke has continued to draw crowds on the campaign trail, but he has searched aloud for an answer to why he — a white, former three-term congressman — is best positioned for and deserving of the presidency. On Sunday, in an unusual note to supporters, he revealed that he and his wife are descendants of slave owners, while writing he would “support reparations.”
“I benefit from a system that my ancestors built to favor themselves at the expense of others,” he wrote in a note that appeared timed to get ahead of the publication of an article in The Guardian about his ancestry.
The campaigns’ finance reports also detail spending. Ms. Gillibrand spent $4.2 million — nearly $2 million more than she raised. But she still had $8.2 million in the bank as of July 1, thanks to money she had previously transferred from her past Senate races.
Julián Castro, the former housing secretary, spent $2.3 million and was on track to spend more than he raised until the first debate. He raised $1.1 million in the next four days, boosting his total to $2.8 million.
There do not appear to be enough big or small donors to support all the Democratic candidates financially. Already, one candidate, Representative Eric Swalwell of California, has dropped out. Another, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, reported raising less than $900,000 — far less than needed to run a viable national campaign. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York raised only $1.1 million.
Other candidates who have announced their fund-raising totals include Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado ($2.8 million), the entrepreneur Andrew Yang ($2.8 million) and Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana ($2 million).
A super PAC supporting Mr. Booker said it had raised only $1.125 million so far in 2019, far below expectations. Its founder, Steve Phillips, had claimed last December in an interview that he had $4 million in commitments. The bulk of the money, $1 million, came from Mr. Phillips’s wife, Susan Sandler.