Joe Biden raised $22.7 million in fourth quarter

The figure puts the former vice president behind Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who raised $34.5 million in the same stretch from October through December, as well as South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose fourth-quarter haul was $24.7 million.

The other member of the 2020 Democratic presidential race's top tier, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has not yet released her fourth-quarter fundraising numbers -- though her campaign told supporters late last week that, days from the deadline, she so far had raised $17 million, down from her $24.6 million third quarter.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang's campaign said he raised $16.5 million in the fourth quarter.

All of the Democratic totals trail incumbent President Donald Trump, whose campaign said it raised $46 million in the fourth quarter.

For Biden, the fourth quarter was better than the previous two three-month stretches of his candidacy: He raised $21.5 million in 2019's second quarter and $15.2 million in the third quarter.

"I'm excited to share that we raised $22.7 million this last quarter -- our biggest quarter so far this campaign!" Biden said in a tweet along with a video Thursday afternoon. "Thank you to everyone who chipped in what you could -- your support means the world to me. You truly are the heart of our campaign."

The former vice president has held more than 100 fundraising events, which small groups of reporters have been allowed to attend.

Biden's campaign said its online donations doubled during the fourth quarter -- with a particular bump during the House's impeachment proceedings: The amount the campaign brought in online climbed by 121% compared to the weeks before.

Overall, the average donation to Biden was $41, his campaign said.

The announcement came on the same day Biden started a four-day swing through Iowa, where his campaign has said it expects the former vice president to spend much of his time in January. He also picked up the first Democratic congressional endorsement from Iowa of the 2020 race, with Rep. Abby Finkenauer announcing her support.

Gone was the "No Malarkey" branding from previous Biden Iowa bus tours. This time, his bus was emblazoned with the words "Battle for the soul of the nation."

He is attempting to hold on to his front-runner status through the first two contests next month, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Then, the campaign shifts to states where the Democratic electorate is more diverse. He's maintained a massive lead among black voters who make up more than half the Democratic electorate in South Carolina.