How much money each presidential candidate has raised
The donation emails and fundraising events are in full swing
While the 2024 presidential election may still be 13 months away, the large pool of candidates is frenetically sending out donation emails and holding fundraising events to drum up cash.
However, there's a large disparity between the candidates in terms of how much each one has raised. While the biggest names — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — have added millions of dollars to their cause, other candidates have resorted to offering gift cards in exchange for campaign donations.
With a long way to go until voters head to the polls, candidates have ample time to continue raising money and keep trying to pull ahead in the rat race. Here's how much some of the major presidential candidates have raised.
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Joe Biden
The president raised an additional $71 million during the second quarter after announcing his reelection bid this past April. This includes direct donations to his campaign, "alongside the Democratic National Committee and a joint fundraising committee," The New York Times reported. This is on par with the $72 million Biden raised during his first post-announcement quarter, and puts his total fundraising at around $143 million since the start of his campaign.
Biden has been able to raise this much because he's working directly with the DNC. This represents the incumbent's "distinct advantage over Republicans, who don't have party backing until there's a nominee," NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith previously reported.
However, while this total gives Biden “a significant advantage over the Republican field,” The Washington Post reported, it is still less than the “inflation-adjusted hauls of Barack Obama and Donald Trump at the same point in their re-election efforts.”
Donald Trump
The former president brought in approximately $24.5 million during the third quarter of 2023. Combined with the $53 million Trump has raised since beginning his campaign, and his total fundraising sits at around $77.5 million.
Trump also ended September with around $37.5 million of cash on hand. This is “seven times what DeSantis has and around triple what Haley and South Carolina Gov. Tim Scott have available,” CBS News reported. However, Trump’s campaign raised $20 million less than his joint fundraising committee during Q3, meaning that his “fundraising mechanism … could be spending significantly,” CBS added. Despite this, his financial edge among the GOP field means that Trump could “comfortably outgun his primary opponents on the airwaves if he finds his prodigious polling lead slipping,” Politico reported.
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor entered the race this past May and has raised about $35 million in total. This includes $20 million during his first two months as a candidate and a recently reported $15 million during Q3. This puts him in second place in the Republican Party's fundraising efforts behind Trump.
However, like the former president, DeSantis is burning cash and, like the prior quarter, his campaign “spent nearly all of what was raised,” CBS added, including $10.6 million worth of operating expenditures. DeSantis, though, still has support from the party's larger super PACs. This includes the Never Back Down PAC, which has set a goal to raise an additional $50 million for DeSantis by the end of the year. However, DeSantis’ dwindling cash will likely “extend [his] reliance on a deep-pocketed outside group,” per CNN.
Nikki Haley
The former governor of South Carolina is currently third in GOP fundraising, having brought in around $26 million since her campaign began in February. This includes $8.3 million raised in Q1, $7.3 million in Q2, and $11 million in this most recent quarter.
Haley's name notably generated headlines earlier this year when she released a press bulletin saying her campaign had raised $11 million. However, FEC filings reveal that her campaign "drastically overstated its haul," The Washington Post reported, and she had only raised the aforementioned $8.3 million. Despite continually low poll numbers, Haley’s increasing fundraising totals show that “her performance in the early presidential debates may have reinvigorated her 2024 candidacy,” The New York Times wrote.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Having recently changed his affiliation to run as an independent, RFK Jr. has brought in about $15 million since his campaign began in April. This includes $9 million raised during the third quarter of the year.
But RFK Jr.'s controversial campaign has also been suffering from financial issues, as records show he’s burned through more than $7 million of the $9 million he recently raised. However, he does have one tool at his disposal; a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. called American Values 2024 has raised about $28 million in outside donations. "The donors who have previously backed Republicans accounted for a much greater share of the money raised" by the PAC, Politico previously reported.
Update Oct. 26, 2023: This article has been updated to reflect current fundraising totals.
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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
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