MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Gretchen Whitmer says her campaign has raised $1 million in its first five months, more than any non-incumbent gubernatorial candidate has ever reported this early in the election cycle.
The Whitmer campaign announced the fundraising total Wednesday during the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference. Campaign manager Jerid Kurtz says it shows she’s well positioned for the 2018 governor’s race.
Roughly 3,900 donors gave to Whitmer, and about 88 percent committed $100 or less.
The other active Democratic candidate, former Detroit Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed, said Tuesday he had raised money from about 1,300 donors and had registered roughly 1,100 volunteers.
Campaign-finance filings aren’t due until late July.
Whitmer’s announcement comes as University of Michigan regent Mark Bernstein, president of his family’s personal-injury law firm, considers a run.
