Biden and allies raised $70 million during Democratic convention, campaign says

[August 22, 2020]  By Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden and closely allied Democratic groups raised $70 million during their four-day convention this week, Biden's election campaign said on Friday.

The convention's broadcasts drew 122 million views across 15 digital platform livestreams and also attracted 85.1 million to television broadcasts, the campaign said in an emailed statement.

Republican President Donald Trump’s campaign and closely allied groups pulled in $165 million during the typically sluggish political fundraising month of July, more than Democratic rival Joe Biden’s $140 million, Trump's campaign said earlier this month.

That result allows Trump to enter the final stretch of the U.S. presidential campaign with a slim, but intact, cash advantage.

Trump and party-backed groups now have more than $300 million to spend on advertisement, door-knocking organizers and other political expenses, they said, compared with Biden’s $294 million.

The virtual Democratic convention wrapped up on Thursday night with Biden accepting his party's nomination during a speech in which he accused Trump of a chaotic and divisive presidency.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden are pictured after he accepted the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination during the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The convention's closing night attracted roughly 24.6 million primetime television viewers, the largest audience of the week, according to data from the Nielsen ratings agency.

Trump's four-day nominating convention, a mix of virtual and live events, starts on Monday.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; additional reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool)

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