Biden spends more than Sanders on Facebook ads for first time in 2020 race

Former Vice President Joe Biden is spending more than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Facebook ads for the first time this primary season.

Biden has spent $247,194 on Facebook ads for the March 17 voting states compared to Sanders’s $134,559, according to data from the crowdfunding technology platform Booster that was first shared with The Hill. The March 17 states include Florida, Arizona, Ohio and Illinois.

In Florida particularly, the former vice president is spending almost three times more than Sanders on Facebook ads, with $110,929 compared to Sanders’s $38,823.

Biden had previously only invested “heavily” in the next upcoming primary races, but his March 17 numbers show his campaign is moving to fund ads for future races.

Biden is also leading the polls in all of these states except Illinois. 

But the Vermont progressive is outspending Biden in the states voting Tuesday, which include Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington. Sanders has spent $106,012 on Facebook ads in these states while Biden has spent $76,711, according to the data.

Biden has previously lagged behind Sanders in fundraising, with Sanders hauling in $134,108,281 in 2019’s fourth quarter and Biden earning $69,947,256.

Sanders also touted a successful fundraising month in February, raking in more than $46 million from about 2.2 million donations.

But after Biden’s South Carolina and Super Tuesday wins and the shrinking of the Democratic field, he is experienced a boost in fundraising, earning $22 million in five days.

Facebook users on average tend to be of an older age group, the same demographic that typically supports Biden over Sanders, who dominates the younger vote. 

Moderate voters funneled to support Biden following former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s and Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) departure from the race and endorsement of the former vice president ahead of Super Tuesday.

Biden ended up winning 10 of the 14 states up for grabs last week, giving him a lead with 664 delegates compared to Sanders’s 573. Not all of the Super Tuesday delegates have been distributed as of early Monday afternoon.