Elizabeth Warren's finance director leaving campaign

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2. Why Elizabeth Warren, a Presumed Front-Runner, Trails Her Rivals in Fund-Raising

MEMPHIS — On a Sunday afternoon earlier this month, Senator Elizabeth Warren began a swing through the South by proclaiming that she was running “a different type of campaign” — one that did not include high-dollar fund-raisers but was entirely reliant on grass-roots contributions.

“If you think that’s a good idea, go to ElizabethWarren.com,” she told about 500 people at a town hall-style event in Memphis, adding: “Pitch in five bucks, do whatever you can.”

The next morning she woke up to some news about a surge in small-dollar contributions, but it wasn’t for her: Former Representative Beto O’Rourke had raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his candidacy.

It was another blow to a candidate who has spent the first months of the Democratic presidential primary campaign seeking to distinguish herself from the field: She was the first major candidate to announce; she has set the pace on policy, unveiling a series of far-reaching proposals on child care, taxes and the role of large technology companies; and she defied the pleas of her longtime finance director and declared that she would stop pursuing big donations altogether.

But as the first fund-raising deadline arrives at midnight on Sunday, Ms. Warren — who last year was widely considered a would-be front-runner — finds herself in a political vise. Her rivals on either ideological flank will raise substantially more money in the first quarter than she does, and her focus on policy has not yet translated in the polls.

Ms. Warren’s early troubles reflect the broader challenges confronting the vast Democratic field, all vying for money and attention as they seek to dethrone President Trump. Harvesting online donations does not come easily to noncelebrity candidates, and the party’s longstanding fascination with youthful charisma — along with its current, Trump-driven fixation on electability — can outweigh qualities like experience or policy expertise.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-fundraising.html?