Veteran Fundraiser Launches Campaign to Raise $200 Million to Support the Eventual 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading democratic fundraiser launched Fund 1600 today, a novel campaign to raise at least $200 million over the next 18 months to ensure funding parity between the eventual 2020 Democratic nominee for President and Donald Trump. Fund 1600 is led by William Rinehart, a veteran of both Obama presidential campaigns, as well as dozens of other state and federal campaigns. "I know first-hand how the primaries can deplete a campaign's resources before the general election begins. Fund 1600 will ensure that whoever the Democratic nominee is, he or she does not have an inherent fundraising disadvantage to President Trump on Day One," said Rinehart.

While President Trump is amassing a growing war chest of $150 million and climbing while spending none of it, Democrats will be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars during the Democratic primary. Fund 1600 seeks to combat that disparity beginning now, letting the eventual nominee and millions of donors know that their standard bearer will be in a position to defeat Donald Trump in 2020.

Fund 1600 has chosen Prytany, a new non-partisan political fundraising app, to host Fund 1600, making the campaign accessible to anyone with internet access. While primary elections in states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, engage local Democratic parties, they typically result in voter turnout of around 15%. Voters in states with late primaries do not participate in the Presidential primary process in any meaningful way. Using Prytany, Fund 1600 lets everyday voters across the Country participate right now in a way that will have a real impact and will give the eventual candidate an unprecedented boost in the General Election.  "It is my belief that many Republicans are as equally disillusioned with this President as I am, which is why I chose a nonpartisan platform like Prytany to prove it," said Rinehart.

"I am launching Fund 1600 because it just makes sense. Fund 1600 on Prytany is allowing donors like me who do not want to get in early on the primary side but do want to get in early on defeating Trump. We owe our country a President who is fit for office, and I am positive whoever comes out of the Democratic nomination process will not only be ready to lead but will have a real vision for uniting the country," said Rinehart.

In the 2018 campaign cycle, Democrats gave $1.5 Billion to candidates and aligned groups, flipping control of the House of Representatives, and in doing so, shattering all previous fundraising records.  Fund 1600 aims to build upon the momentum of 2018. The campaign has no overhead, and all contributions will go directly to supporting the Democratic candidate for President in 2020.

"Right now political contributors are looking for something through which they can donate to increase the odds of winning the White House. We already have Elizabeth Warren, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Julian Castro. Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Ojeda and Kamala Harris who are all exceptionally well qualified and better equipped to be President than the current occupant of the White House," said Rinehart. "That said, these leaders and others are going to spend a fortune to get the chance to run against Trump.  The Fund 1600 campaign will give the eventual candidate a running start, and a better chance to win in November 2020."

Fund 1600's goal is to match President Trump's fundraising in total immediately when the Democratic nominee is chosen making it prohibitively expensive for the Trump Campaign to succeed.

Find Fund 1600 online at www.prytany.com and on the Prytany app, under Fund 1600, Group B128. Link is https://www.prytany.com/groups/29/posts.

Fund 1600 is not a PAC OR SUPERPAC.

For more information, please contact William Rinehart at [email protected] / 910.398.4830.

SOURCE Fund 1600