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First-quarter campaign fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission on Saturday, providing some early clues about the 2024 presidential race and the battle for Congress.
The reports will cover the first fundraising quarter, which spanned from January through March.
Here are five big questions looming over the political world ahead of the deadline:
1. What is the state of the GOP presidential primary?
The fundraising reports will provide a look at presidential contenders' fundraising strength, especially in the GOP primary.
Former President Donald Trump has not yet announced his fundraising totals, but former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announced earlier this month that she pulled in $11 million during the first six weeks of her campaign. Critically, the new fundraising reports will also show how much her campaign spent over the period, and how much is left in her campaign account.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also jumped into the presidential race during the first fundraising period. His campaign announced last month that he racked up contributions from 10,000 individual donors over the first month of his campaign, but it did not say how much he raised over that period. Ramaswamy is also independently wealthy, so the fundraising report will show if he has started to spend his own money on his campaign.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., launched his exploratory committee after the first quarter ended. But he can transfer funds from his Senate campaign to a presidential campaign, so his new Senate filing will be key to watch.
2. How much did Trump spend on legal fees?
The Republican National Committee had been paying Trump's legal fees, but it could not continue doing so once he became a candidate. (The party organization is neutral in the 2024 primary.) So the latest filing could show if Trump has dipped into his campaign funds to combat the multiple investigations he faces, including probes into his effort to overturn the 2020 election, his handling of classified documents and his alleged payments to two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump.
Candidates can use campaign funds to pay for legal expenses "related to campaign or officeholder activity, where such expenses would not have occurred had the individual not been a candidate or officeholder," according to the Federal Election Commission.
3. Are the senators on "retirement watch" actively fundraising?
A handful of senators up for re-election in 2024 have not yet said if they're running, so their filings could provide clues as to whether they're actively gearing up for their races — or if they're leaning towards retirement.
Two key senators to watch are Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. Either senator would shake up a competitive race by deciding not to run.
Other senators in less competitive states are also still weighing campaigns, including Utah Republican Mitt Romney and Democrats Tom Carper of Delaware and Ben Cardin of Maryland. Cardin raised just $15,000 in the first fundraising quarter, per his fundraising report, which was filed on Friday.
4. How are vulnerable senators prepping for their campaigns?
Democrats are on defense next year, with multiple senators up for re-election in competitive states. Senate Democratic candidates have raised eye-popping sums in recent election cycles, far outpacing their GOP opponents. So Saturday's filings could show if those senators are already starting to build massive war chests.
Two Senate Republicans also worth watching are Florida's Rick Scott and Texas' Ted Cruz, both of whom could face somewhat competitive races given the dynamics of their states.
5. Who is gearing up to jump from the House to the Senate?
House candidates are also filing their fundraising reports, which could provide clues about whether some House members are gearing up for Senate runs.
Some key House members to watch include Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who is reportedly considering a run against Cruz. Montana GOP Reps. Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke are also considering Senate runs.
In Wisconsin, GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher is considering a Senate campaign. His fundraising report filed on Friday showed Gallagher raising $499,000, ending the quarter on March 31 with $3.3 million in his campaign account.