Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley didn’t beat Ron DeSantis in overall fundraising for the third quarter, but she surpassed him in one key metric that underscores the Florida governor’s weakening position in the GOP presidential primary.
Haley raised $11 million in the third quarter, which includes $9.1 million in cash on hand she can spend in the primary, her campaign announced Monday. That’s more than the $5 million that DeSantis has on hand, according to figures his campaign released last week that show an overall $15 million haul between July and September.
The numbers reinforce the Florida governor’s steady slide in the polls since entering the race in May, while Haley, who is still polling in single digits nationally, seems to have benefitted from her performances in the first two debates. DeSantis’ cash situation has suffered as a result: He was forced to shrink his staff over the summer and focus his campaign operation mainly on Iowa, the first state to vote in the GOP primary.
DeSantis was down from the $20 million he raised in the second quarter, while Haley brought in $7.3 million during the same period.
Neither candidate comes close to the fundraising advantage enjoyed by Trump. The former president claims to have raised $45.5 million in the last quarter. Of that, Trump’s campaign says it has $36 million available to spend on the primary.
None of the GOP candidates has filed their Q3 disclosures with the Federal Elections Commission ahead of the Oct. 15 deadline, meaning the numbers released by their campaigns can’t be checked yet against their official filings.
Haley likely has more to spend now because she did better than DeSantis with small-dollar donors — an area of strength for Trump — while DeSantis benefitted early on with high rollers willing to write him one big check.
Haley’s campaign, in a press release, said it has seen an “explosion in donor interest” that resulted in 40,000 new donors alone in the third quarter.
“We have seen a big surge in support and have real momentum,” Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas 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.”
DeSantis’ campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Candidates can accept $3,300 per person for the primary and $3,300 for the general election all at once, but they can’t spend that general election money now.
Super PACs supporting both Haley and DeSantis have yet to release their totals. Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis, accepted $82.5 million that DeSantis had in a Florida political committee, money left over from his 2022 reelection campaign for governor. The New York Times reported in early August, however, that Never Back Down had already burned through $34 million on campaign expenses, including voter outreach and consultants, while still having $97 million on hand — more than the super PACs supporting Trump.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the Republican candidate who ended the last quarter with the most money on hand, has yet to announce his haul. Scott raised $5.8 million last quarter, but still had $21 million cash on hand largely from money he raised as a senator.