USA TODAY International Edition
Clinton, Bush and other candidates race for cash
Quarterly fundraising deadline comes up
Democrat Hillary Clinton is emails supporters to warn that her foes are “rooting for us to fail.” Republican Jeb Bush offers bundlers who raise $ 50,000 a chance to mingle with two former presidents.
The 2016 presidential contenders are scrambling for donations before Wednesday’s quarterly fundraising deadline, aiming to build war chests that demonstrate they can outlast their opponents in a White House contest that remains deeply unsettled.
Clinton, who collected a record $ 47.5 million during the April-toJune quarter, faces a surging Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, nearly daily disclosures about her use of a private email server as secretary of State and the possibility that Vice President Biden will mount a late- breaking chal- lenge to her campaign for the nomination.
Bush, whose super PAC pulled in $ 100 million during the first half of the year, is working to bolster the donations flowing directly to his campaign, a crucial measure of whether the former Florida governor has the support of rank- and- file Republican donors, even as he slips in the polls.
“There’s a lot at stake for Jeb Bush in this quarter financially,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, who has not backed a candidate in the primary.
Bush pulled in $ 11.4 million in “hard money” through the end of June that he can use to fund his own travel, staff and advertising, and he is working aggressively to draw in more funds.
One of his brothers, former president George W. Bush, has raised money on his behalf, and his father, former president George H. W. Bush, sent out a fundraising appeal Tuesday.
Both former presidents are slated to appear at a Jeb Bush donor summit this year in Houston.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who departed the Republican race this month despite the support of a well- funded super PAC, demonstrated that candidates need to “have hard financial resources they can control,” Cullen said.
Bush’s supporters say they are confident he has the money and organizational know- how to survive.
“Steady wins the race,” said David Beightol, a Bush fundraiser. “When you are undertaking a presidential campaign, it’s like building a $ 1 billion business and then quickly disbanding it. Not everyone knows how to do that.”
Other Republicans, such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, seek to capitalize on Walker’s political demise and their own strong performances in recent GOP debates.
Bob Pence, a shopping- mall developer in Northern Virginia, supported both Walker and Rubio earlier this year, but now “it’s Marco Rubio all the way,” he said. He’s raising money for the campaign.
Pence said a “fair” number of Walker’s supporters have migrated to Rubio’s campaign. “The quarter is going to be fine,” he said. “We’re not going to run out of money. We will have money to stay in through March.”
The campaigns are not disclosing fundraising totals. Although the quarter ends Wednesday, candidates do not have to file reports on their contributions and expenses until Oct. 15.
The contenders leave little to chance.
On Monday alone, Clinton headlined three fundraisers in California, where nearly 600 people contributed $ 1,000 to $ 2,700 apiece to attend.
In recent days, her campaign has bombarded supporters with emails.
In an email Sunday, Clinton warned that her rivals will “take a hard look at our fundraising report, trying to find signs of weakness.”
Candidates aim to build war chests that demonstrate they can outlast their opponents in a contest that remains deeply unsettled.