Campaign contributions to former President Donald Trump totaled $45.5 million for the third quarter of 2023.
That’s more than triple the $15 million that went to his nearest Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to figures that the candidates’ campaigns released.
Both candidates’ campaigns said these totals “shattered” expectations.
President Trump’s campaign receipts quadrupled the $11 million contributed to the third-ranking candidate, Nikki Haley, who formerly served as South Carolina’s governor and a United Nations ambassador.The candidates’ campaigns disclosed the figures publicly in advance of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) third-quarter fundraising filing deadline, Oct. 15. The third quarter ran July 1 through Sept. 30.
The Epoch Times was unable to obtain advance figures for the fourth-place Republican hopeful, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.President Trump’s third-quarter total was $10 million more than the $35 million raised during the second quarter, his campaign said.
Contributions to the former president have trended upward each quarter of this year, his campaign said, noting that his second-quarter tally doubled his first-quarter total.
His campaign calls the fundraising totals “an impressive testament to the overwhelming grassroots support behind President Trump.”
His spokespersons say Americans are contributing to the former president for three main reasons:They believe in his “America First” policies.
They miss the peace and prosperity that they experienced during the Trump Administration, 2017-21.
The financial contributions “will lead to dominating victories,” his campaign said, noting that President Trump’s campaign is flush with $37.5 million cash on hand. About $36 million of that amount is “designated for the primary,” his campaign said.
In contrast, Mr. DeSantis has only $5 million cash on hand, while Ms. Haley has $11.6 million reserved.Mr. DeSantis’s campaign manager, James Uthmeier, previously told The Epoch Times: “This significant fundraising haul not only provides us with the resources we need in the fight for Iowa and beyond but it also shuts down the doubters who counted out Ron DeSantis for far too long.”
As for Ms. Haley, about 40,000 new donors contributed to her in the third quarter, her campaign said.“We have seen a big surge in support and have real momentum,” Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokeswoman for Ms. Haley said in a statement. “Nikki is emerging as the candidate who can move America beyond the chaos and drama of the past and present, and we have the resources we need to do it.”
With pivotal political events on the horizon, the candidates are nearing a probable make-or-break juncture of their presidential campaigns.
The Iowa caucuses, which help set the tone of the rest of the primary election season, are set to begin in a little more than 90 days. In the interim, the leading GOP presidential hopefuls will continue crisscrossing the nation, making stump speeches. They also are slated to face off for the third and final debate on Nov. 8 in Miami.
President Trump, who skipped the previous two debates and has signaled he intends to do the same for the third go-'round, leads the pack not only in fundraising, but also in opinion poll performance.
According to the RealClear Politics average, the former president is nearly 45 percentage points ahead of Mr. DeSantis.
The former president is drawing about 57.4 percent of the Republican vote, followed by Mr. DeSantis at 12.6 percent, Ms. Haley with 7.2 percent, and Mr. Ramaswamy with 5.8 percent.
Jackson Richman, T.J. Muscaro, and Nathan Worcester contributed.
