Whereas the 2024 presidential election should still be 15 months away, the big pool of candidates has began to ship out donation emails and maintain fundraising occasions to drum up assist — and money.
Nevertheless, there’s a big disparity between the candidates when it comes to how a lot each has raised. Whereas the largest names — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — have added tens of millions of {dollars} to their trigger, different candidates have resorted to providing reward playing cards in change for marketing campaign donations.
With an extended option to go till voters head to the polls, candidates have ample time to proceed elevating cash and preserve attempting to tug forward within the rat race. Here is how a lot a few of the main presidential candidates have raised.
Joe Biden
The president raised $72 million through the first quarter after asserting his reelection bid this previous April. This contains direct donations to his marketing campaign, “alongside the Democratic Nationwide Committee and a joint fundraising committee,” The New York Occasions reported.
The $72 million Biden raised is “almost as a lot as all of the Republican candidates mixed,” Insider reported. Biden has been in a position to elevate this a lot as a result of he is working straight with the DNC. This represents the incumbent’s “distinct benefit over Republicans, who haven’t got occasion backing till there is a nominee,” NPR White Home correspondent Tamara Keith reported. Nevertheless, Keith additionally famous that the $72 million is “in need of what [former] Presidents [Barack] Obama and Trump raised at this level of their reelection bids.”
Donald Trump
The previous president has introduced in round $53 million since starting his marketing campaign in November 2022. This contains $35 million raised throughout Q2 of this yr and about $18 million within the first quarter, in keeping with his marketing campaign.
Whereas this determine “blows all of his Republican opponents out of the water,” Politico reported, it comes with a caveat: Trump is spending greater than he is bringing in. “The previous president’s official marketing campaign and his management, Save America PAC, have collectively spent $57 million over the identical interval,” the outlet reported, with The New York Occasions including that Trump’s PAC has simply $4 million left within the financial institution. Nevertheless, his “earlier two indictments led to spikes in his on-line fundraising,” MSNBC famous, that means his marketing campaign may see a big monetary increase now that he has been indicted for a 3rd time.
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor solely entered the race this previous Could however has already raised about $20 million. This places him in second place within the Republican Occasion’s fundraising efforts behind Trump.
Nevertheless, like the previous president, DeSantis is burning money and coming off 1 / 4 throughout which his marketing campaign “spent almost 40% of what they raised,” CBS Information reported. There isn’t any query that DeSantis’ marketing campaign is struggling behind Trump. In what could also be excellent news for him, although, DeSantis nonetheless has assist from the occasion’s bigger tremendous PACs. The By no means Again Down PAC has raised $130 million since being launched earlier this yr. Regardless of this, DeSantis has “continued to lose floor in opposition to Trump in nationwide and a few early state polls as they battle for the nomination,” The Washington Submit reported.
Nikki Haley
The previous governor of South Carolina is at the moment third in GOP fundraising, having introduced in almost $16 million since her marketing campaign started this previous February. This contains $7.3 million raised in Q2 and $8.3 million in Q1.
Haley’s identify notably generated headlines earlier this yr when she launched a press bulletin saying her marketing campaign had raised $11 million. Nevertheless, FEC filings reveal that her marketing campaign “drastically overstated its haul,” The Washington Submit reported, and he or she had solely raised the aforementioned $8.3 million. Regardless of frequently low ballot numbers, Haley “not too long ago dismissed nationwide polls and stated she believed polling will flip round in her favor within the fall,” The Hill stated.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
As the one actual Democratic challenger to President Biden, RFK Jr. has introduced in about $6 million since his marketing campaign started this previous April. This features a heavy “$3 million in a three-day stretch alone” on the finish of June, The Hill reported.
Nonetheless thought of a longshot candidacy, RFK Jr.’s controversial marketing campaign has additionally been helped by a secret software: Republicans. A brilliant PAC supporting RFK Jr. referred to as American Values 2024 has raised about $16 million in outdoors donations. “The donors who’ve beforehand backed Republicans accounted for a a lot larger share of the cash raised” by the PAC, Politico reported, exhibiting that whereas “Kennedy enjoys the surname of Democratic royalty, his message can be resonating with Republicans.”