Wasserman Schultz primary challenger posts strong fundraising total

The Florida professor challenging Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for her congressional seat posted a strong first fundraising quarter, raising $550,000.

Tim Canova’s haul came from 15,295 donnations averaging less than $20, according to figures released Monday morning by the campaign. 

{mosads}”Our campaign has been met with incredible enthusiasm,” Canova said in a statement released by his campaign. “There is an intense desire in South Florida, as there is around the country, to end politics as usual and elect a representative who will put the people first, not big Wall Street banks and giant companies.”

The first quarter haul shows that Wasserman Schultz will likely be facing a well-funded opponent in her first primary challenge since her election in 2004. She ended 2015 with just $468,000 in her campaign account and has not yet reported her first-quarter totals, but is expected to flex her fundraising muscle during the run-up to the primary.

President Obama took the rare step last week of endorsing Wasserman Schultz ahead of that primary election, a notable decision by the president to wade into party politics. 

But numbers released by Canova’s campaign implicitly suggested that move may have helped his fundraising — almost $100,000 of his donations came in the last four days of the quarter, after Obama’s endorsement.

The DNC chairwoman has faced criticism about the party’s decisions in the presidential race, and Bernie Sanders supporters have accused the party of picking Hillary Clinton as its favorite.

Canova has endorsed Sanders and is trying to run with a similar populist streak as the Vermont senator. And Canova also has the backing of the National Nurses United super-PAC, the group that has already spent more than $1 million to help Sanders.

The district is leans strongly blue, so the primary will likely be the only competitive obstacle for Wasserman Schultz to keep her seat.