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The Latest: 2020 Democrats raising less as donors sit out

In this April 1, 2019, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the We the People Membership Summit in Washington. Sanders is leading Democratic presidential candidates in the early money chase with more than $18 million in contributions during the first seven weeks of his candidacy. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON — The Latest on first quarter fundraising totals posted by Democratic presidential candidates (all times local):

6:40 p.m.

Democratic presidential hopefuls collectively raised over $70 million during the first fundraising quarter of the 2020 election cycle, significantly less than they did the last time the party had a wide open primary.

For example, Democratic candidates in the 2008 election raised about $81 million during the first quarter.

The lacklustre fundraising by a crowded field of more than a dozen contenders is a sign that a drawn-out primary battle lies ahead. The money troubles come as many donors sit on the sidelines to see how the contest unfolds.

Democrats’ fundraising haul also pales in comparison to the $30 million President Donald Trump alone raised during the first quarter.

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11:55 a.m.

The crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates is showing early signs of money trouble as donors sit on the sidelines to see how the contest unfolds, signalling a drawn-out primary battle lies ahead.

The Democratic campaign comes into greater focus Monday as declared White House hopefuls report their first quarter fundraising totals. Early glimpses provided by nine of the more than a dozen declared candidates show they are raising less money than in previous cycles.

Totals released by those campaigns show Democrats collectively raised about $66 million since January. That’s less than the $81 million Democrats raised during the same period in 2007, the last time the party had a wide open primary.

It pales in comparison to the $30 million President Donald Trump raised during the first quarter.

The Associated Press