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Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's presidential campaign pulled in $11 million in the first six weeks of her bid, her campaign announced in a Wednesday press release.
Haley's campaign says it ended March with $7.8 million on hand, with her home state of South Carolina, Florida and Texas the top three fundraising states.
In a statement, campaign manager Betsy Ankney said Haley's fundraising and retail campaigning "makes her a force to be reckoned with."
"Voters and donors are clearly responding to Nikki’s conservative message and her call for a new generation of leadership to make America strong and proud," Ankney added. "As Nikki said in her announcement speech in Charleston on Feb.15, ‘I’ve been underestimated before. That’s always fun.'"
The $11 million haul is a strong one, particularly for a candidate who hasn't served in elected office since early 2017, as current and recent officeholders typically have a more up-to-date fundraising network.
The Haley campaign notes in its press release that the haul topped the $9.5 million the Trump campaign says it raised in its first fundraising quarter after he announced, although Trump had been soliciting money to an affiliated political group since he left office, a group he's used to seed the well-funded super PAC that will be bolstering his bid. (Haley had been previously fundraising for an affiliated outside group too.)
Haley's campaign adds it's hosted 19 events so far in Iowa and New Hampshire, and she's slated hold a rally Thursday in South Carolina and in Iowa next week.
