Fundraising reports for the first three months of the year won’t be filed until April 15, but that hasn’t stopped campaigns from releasing their totals as early shows of strength.
On Wednesday former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announced that she raised $11 million in the first six weeks of her presidential campaign. Haley’s team noted that was more than former President Donald Trump raised in the first stretch of the campaign last year (although Trump had been raising big money to his joint fundraising committee ever since he left office).
The fundraising reports filed later this month will only show a portion of the amount Trump (and others) raised after news of his indictment broke on March 30, since the quarter ended on March 31. But the news has apparently boosted Trump’s campaign coffers. NBC News’ Dasha Burns reported on Wednesday that the Trump campaign said it has raised $12 million since his indictment became public.
Trump’s campaign is also reportedly trying to court Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ donors, sending a memo to DeSantis’ donors earlier this week telling them “now is the time” to support Trump, Politico reports.
The latest fundraising quarter will also provide clues about potential candidates’ fundraising strength as they raise money for affiliated groups. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, for example, raised nearly $2.8 million for the Spirit of Virginia PAC and its non-profit arm over the span of 30 days, according to a press release from the group.
In other campaign news…
Trump talk: Trump urged Republicans in Congress to “defund the DOJ and FBI until they come to their senses,” following his arraignment on Tuesday.
Not appealing: Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also weighing a presidential run, will not fight a judge’s ruling ordering him to testify in the special counsel’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, per NBC News’ Laura Jarrett.
Massie’s pick: DeSantis hasn’t jumped into the presidential race yet, but he picked up his second congressional endorsement on Wednesday with an endorsement from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Looks like he’s running: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and son of the late former senator, filed paperwork to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Cross-country: California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Florida and criticized DeSantis and the state government’s education policies.
Live free to join another campaign: Former President Trump’s New Hampshire state campaign chair each of the last two cycles, state Sen. Fred Doucette, is joining Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign, per a press release.
Taking sides: Fresh off of its endorsement in the West Virginia Senate race, the conservative Club for Growth took sides in the gubernatorial race, backing GOP Attorney General Patrick Morrissey. Club for Growth PAC president David McIntosh said in a press release that Club for Growth Action, along with Black Bear PAC “expect to spend upwards of well over $10 million to help ensure his victory.”
Casey at the bat: Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is putting together a campaign team and planning fundraisers, the latest signs that he intends to run for re-election, per Politico.
Party time: North Carolina State Rep. Tricia Cotham announced Wednesday that she is leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican, handing the GOP a veto-proof majority. She said the “modern-day Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me,” adding, “If you don’t do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside.”
It’s a family affair: Politico reports that Liz Whitmer Gereghty, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s sister, is considering a House bid against GOP freshman Rep. Mike Lawler, who flipped his New York seat last cycle.
