South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential campaign announced Wednesday that it will report raising $6.1 million in the second quarter of this year.
In a press release, the campaign touted having $21 million on hand going into the third quarter, but that’s less than the $22 million his Senate campaign account had on hand at the end of the first quarter of this year, meaning he likely burned through more money that he raised in this period.
Scott’s campaign has only been active for six weeks. Still, he and other Republican contenders for the nomination are trailing the race’s two frontrunners: former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis entered the race the same week as Scott and reported raising over $8 million in just the first 24 hours of campaigning. His campaign said last week that they raised $20 million in the second quarter, across about the same six weeks that Scott raised just $6 million.
And Trump’s campaign told NBC News that they raised $35 million in the second quarter between the campaign and Trump’s leadership PAC. It’s unclear how much money went to each entity, though.
Meanwhile, like Scott, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's campaign committee raised less than $10 million in the second quarter — $5.3 million to be exact, the New York Times reports.
Nothing’s certain until campaigns release their official fundraising reports at the end of the week. And there’s certainly money to be had for the non-Trump candidates (CNBC and Politico both report that some mega donors who had been seen in DeSantis’ camp are now looking elsewhere as the governor has struggled to catch Trump).
But six months away from the earliest Republican primaries and caucuses, the stratification we’ve seen at the polls appears to match what we’re seeing in fundraising too.
In other campaign news….
Pence speaks out on abortion: In an interview with the Associated Press, former Vice President Mike Pence said he supports banning abortion even when a pregnancy isn’t viable.
Making an appeal to a higher power: As Tim Scott tries to woo evangelical voters in Iowa, his campaign released a new ad about how “our country is founded upon a Judeo-Christian rock.”
Ramaswamy and faith: NBC News’ Emma Barnett and Alex Tabet report on how GOP businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks about his Hindu faith on the trail as he too looks to win over religious voters, many of whom are Christians.
Hunter and the House: Former IRS whistleblowers are set to testify next week in front of the House Oversight Committee amid allegations of improper handling of the investigation into Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
Cleared a hurdle: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Wednesday that his presidential campaign has received donations from more than 40,000 individuals, a major requirement set by the Republican National Committee for candidates to qualify for the first debate in August, Politico reports.
Democrats looking for sunshine: Politico reports on how Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are trying to cajole former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell into running against Republican Sen. Rick Scott in Florida, while Navy veteran Phil Ehr is launching a bid “soon.”
Raising dough in Virginia: Rep. Jen Kiggans’ re-election campaign in Virginia’s 2nd District announced that it raised more than $750,000 in the second quarter of this year, per a press release.
