Haley continues raising money despite trailing Trump in race for GOP nomination
President Biden ended his 2023 re-election campaign with a sizable war chest of nearly $117 million, putting him well ahead of his potential GOP rivals who are actively vying for support from prominent Republican donors.
Former President Trump’s campaign committee ended 2023 with $33 million, while his primary opponent for the GOP nomination, Nikki Haley, ended the year with about $15 million.
Campaign totals provide only a partial view. In 2023, donors supporting Trump gave a total of $188 million to various committees. However, the amount was partially offset by paying tens of millions in legal bills for the former president, the Wall Street Journal reported. Overall, as of Jan. 1, Trump and his outside political groups had about $65 million in cash.
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Haley, who finished second in New Hampshire and third in Iowa, has continued to receive a steady stream of campaign donations, bolstering her uphill battle against Trump.
In the week after the New Hampshire primary, Haley’s campaign racked up more than $5 million in fundraising, a reliable source reported.
Her strong fundraising efforts didn’t slow down as 10 people attended the fundraiser over two weeks. During a series of donor conferences in New York and Florida, Haley successfully raised $2.5 million.
Haley’s campaign emphasized that Trump’s nomination could affect down-ballot races for the House and Senate.
At a meeting with high-dollar GOP donors in Florida on Wednesday, the Haley and Trump campaigns made their pitches to the American Opportunity Alliance (AOA) network. Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, emphasized to the group that Trump’s former ambassador to the U.N. represented the last chance to avoid a Trump vs. Biden rematch in 2024, a prospect most Americans oppose.
“We know the House is gone if Trump is the nominee,” a source familiar with the campaign told US Newzs Digital. “There are 18 Republican seats that Joe Biden won in 2020, 10 of which he won by five points or more,” the source explained. Additionally, the source noted, “The November Senate map is heavily favored by Republicans, but that favorability won’t carry over this year because there are no Democrats in Trump states in 2026 or 2028.”
During a Florida AOA fundraiser, Susie Wiles, a key adviser to the Trump campaign, advocated for the former president despite a challenging relationship with certain GOP donors. The argument for Trump, as reported, has little chance of succeeding in Haley’s campaign. A lack of wins in the first two nominating contests and the appearance of South Carolina, her home state, facing similar challenges contributed to this view.
“President Trump’s campaign draws support from small-dollar donors across the country, representing diverse backgrounds, all expressing frustration with Crooked Joe Biden’s record-high inflation, wide-open border, crime and chaos. President Trump has consistently outperformed Biden in every battleground poll. In November We are confident that he will retake the White House,” Trump campaign national press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement.
Trump has made his legal battles a centerpiece of his political campaign, accusing Democrats of using “ridiculous” lawsuits and indictments to block his candidacy. In the early stages of last year’s GOP primary, he experienced a significant surge in support against Republican rivals amid mounting criminal charges.
However, Trump’s payments to law firms fighting four criminal cases and several civil lawsuits have drawn Haley’s attention.
“He can’t beat Joe Biden if he spends his time and money on court cases and chaos,” Haley posted on X this week.
Fundraising figures for Trump’s campaign were not released after the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, leaving uncertainty about the potential boost he felt after commanding victories in the first two contests.
Haley’s support from donors seemed to increase after Trump claimed that anyone who contributed to his campaign would be “permanently banned from the MAGA camp” following his early wins.
Haley’s campaign reports that it has raised half a million dollars by selling more than 15,000 “permanently banned” T-shirts.
While Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with some members of the GOP donor class over the years, this election cycle, he has been actively working to repair ties and attract high-dollar contributors.
“I believe they’re running a more sophisticated campaign this year than ever before,” commented a prominent GOP bundler, who requested anonymity, in a previous interview with US Newzs Digital. “As part of that strategy, they aim to consolidate Republican support politically and financially.”