Presidential hopeful Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) asked viewers to help him stay in the presidential race during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
"We got still a little bit of a hill to climb. If people want me in this race go to CoryBooker.com and help us to make sure that we're positioned to win in the new year," Booker said. Over the weekend, Booker's campaign revealed it needs to raise close to $2 million by Sept. 30 to remain viable.
He told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski the announcement had already resulted in donations from more than 10,000 people. He said his campaign had just experienced its two best fundraising days.
"We have built a campaign to win, but we wanted to be very honest with people. The fourth quarter is when you grow and if we don't have the money to grow, we are not going to be able to stay competitive in this race," he said.
Booker stressed he does not want to stay in the race if he is not "in this to win it." He pointed to endorsements from state legislators and local mayors in Iowa as evidence he still has the ability to compete.
An internal memo from Booker's campaign manager revealed the campaign experienced weak fundraising numbers in early September. "Without a fundraising surge to close out this quarter, we do not see a legitimate long-term path forward," the memo to staff and supporters read.
Recent polls show Booker with 3 percent support in the state, trailing Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) by 3 points and tied with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.).
Booker also said he received donations from voters backing other candidates who told him his "voice" was needed in the race.