Nikki Haley Raises $5.1 Million for Presidential Campaign

(Bloomberg) -- Nikki Haley’s political committees took in $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2023, but only $5.1 million of it went to her presidential campaign, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

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Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served in Donald Trump’s cabinet, launched her campaign in mid-February. She raises money through her campaign, her leadership PAC, a super-PAC and a joint fundraising committee that benefits all three.

Her campaign spent $1.1 million, and entered April with about $4.1 million in the bank, trailing the $13.9 million Trump had in the bank. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who is considering entering the race, has $21.9 million in the bank after converting his campaign committee to a presidential exploratory committee. Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s largely self-financing his presidential bid, had $9.4 million cash on hand.

Haley drew support from a few big name Republican donors, including Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, who’d supported Trump, and Richard Kinder of Kinder Morgan, who didn’t.

Other big GOP donors have supported her since she left Trump’s administration. Her leadership PAC, Stand for America, received donations from billionaire Kenneth Langone, hedge fund managers Paul Singer and Cliff Asness and Republican mega donor Miriam Adelson in the midterm cycle.

Stand for America raised $17.5 million during that period. That total was more than she raised in her two gubernatorial campaigns, when she took in $8.4 million in 2014 and $3.8 million in 2010, state records show. Stand for America took in $1.5 million in the first quarter and ended March with $2.9 million cash on hand. It’s limited by federal law to donating just $5,000 on behalf of her campaign.

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