Ben Carson topped the rest of the Republican presidential field in fundraising for the third quarter, with Jeb Bush placing second — a critical showing for the former Florida governor whose White House bid has faltered in recent weeks.
Although billionaire front-runner Donald Trump is self-financing his campaign and does not actively seek donations, the real estate tycoon took in more cash unsolicited than did some of his rivals who need donations to keep their campaigns running.
(Corrected paragraph:) Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, meanwhile, reported the most cash on hand.
Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said he raised $20.7 million from July 1 through Sept. 30, followed by Mr. Bush’s $13.4 million and Sen. Mr. Cruz’s $12.2 million haul, according to records filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina raised about $7 million, Mr. Rubio raised $6 million, Ohio Gov. John Kasich collected $4.4 million and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie brought in $4.2 million. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky reported a $2.5 million haul as he fights to be included on the next debate’s main stage amid declining poll numbers.
“We’re in it for the long haul,” Mr. Paul insisted in an interview on CNN. “We have planned and we have organized in all 50 states. I wouldn’t waste two years of my life trying to put this message out if I did not plan on being there when they voted, so we plan on being there when they vote.”
His $2.5 million was a major drop from the $7 million he raised in the second quarter, which ran from April 1 to June 30, but Mr. Paul said he has seen a surge in October and is comfortable with the $2 million in cash he had on hand.
But that $2.5 million take is less than what Mr. Trump raised with neither effort nor need.
The Trump campaign raised $3.9 million in the third quarter, not only more than Mr. Paul but also almost as much as Mr. Christie and Mr. Kasich. Mr. Trump received 73,942 unsolicited donations with an average contribution of $50.46.
But the Trump campaign also spent $4 million from July 1 through Sept. 30, a higher figure than some of his peers, albeit much less than Mr. Carson. For example, Mr. Kasich spent $1.7 million in the quarter, Mrs. Fiorina spent $2.2 million and Mr. Christie said he spent $2.8 million — all less than Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump made a contribution of $100,779 to his campaign during the quarter, raising the amount he has personally spent since launching his campaign to $1,909,576.
But for the others, the third-quarter report is a key midpoint test as donors and activists try to gauge who has the funding to stick it out.
“We knew from the start this was going to be a hard fought and close race, but few could have anticipated just how volatile this field would be,” Mr. Bush’s campaign manager, Danny Diaz, wrote in a letter to donors.
“I — for one — would be less than forthcoming if I said we predicted in June that a reality television star supporting Canadian-style single-payer health care and partial-birth abortion would be leading the Republican Primary,” he wrote.
Mr. Diaz assured donors that Mr. Bush would be “better funded than any other in the entire field” and that their campaign has a “formidable grassroots organization in the early states.”
Although his fundraising intake was respectable, Mr. Bush ended with $10.3 million in cash on hand, which lagged several of his competitors: Sen. Ted Cruz, with $13.5 million; Mr. Carson, with $11.3 million; and Mr. Rubio, with $11 million.
Mr. Rubio, who draws from the same Florida base of donors as Mr. Bush, was quick to highlight the difference.
“Thanks to smart budgeting and fiscal discipline, Marco Rubio for president started October with more money in the bank than Jeb Bush for president and most other campaigns,” according to a statement by Mr. Rubio’s campaign — put out six minutes after Mr. Bush’s announcement. “Rubio’s FEC report details the lengths his campaign went to save money.”
It goes on to list buying office furniture from Craigslist, taking cheap Uber rides and flying discount airliners such as Sprint and Frontier.
Mr. Bush has been criticized for running a costly campaign, complete with chartered flights and expensive hotels.
Surprisingly, one of the most frugal campaigns is associated with a name synonymous with opulence and high-class trimmings: Donald Trump.
According to the FEC filing, the Trump campaign showed frugality in his expenses, with roughly $320 spent for McDonald’s from Iowa to New Hampshire to Virginia. Staffers also frequented Wendy’s and Dairy Queen.
Their overnight stays were at the Comfort Inn and Courtyard by Marriott.
By contrast, while Mr. Carson raised the largest amount, his campaign also burned through $14 million in the third quarter, spending money on lavish dinners at Johnny’s Half Shell, an upscale Washington seafood restaurant, and stays at the swanky Waldorf Hotel in New York.
“It is my great honor to be participating in this Presidential race, which has the possibility of having a truly great and positive impact on America,” Mr. Trump said in a statement releasing his numbers. “While our original budget was substantially higher than the amount spent, good business practices and even better ideas and policy have made it unnecessary to have spent a larger sum.
“To be number one in every poll, both state and national, and to have spent the least amount of dollars of any serious candidate is a testament to what I can do for America. This is what our country’s leaders should do for the United States — spend money wisely and win!” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump also financed all of his own events — large rallies that cost him thousands of dollars in setup and security, his filing shows.
He also recorded a $723,426 cost for Tag Air, a private jet and charter. Ironically, a man known to dominate the media paid $30,000 to Drake Ventures for communications consulting and shelled out $243 to Constant Contact for email marketing.
At the lower end, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been fighting to be heard this election cycle, being put at the so-called “kiddie table” in the past two debates. He is betting that the $260,000 he has left in his coffers will take him to the finish line.
Mr. Jindal raised $579,000 in the third quarter but spent $832,000, according to the latest FEC records. It was the smallest haul of all of the candidates, but his lean campaign had to spend the largest amount on payroll, at about $300,000.
While Mr. Jindal has been polling at or about 1 percent nationally, his numbers have picked up in Iowa, which holds the first nominating contest. Mr. Jindal has vowed to stay in the race and is betting on winning Iowa in order to do so.
“This is an election not an auction. We are running a lean mean campaign,” Shannon Dirmann, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said in an email. “We are tied for 5th right now in Iowa and plan to win it on February 1st.”
Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who bowed out of the Republican presidential contest last month, ended the quarter with almost four times as much money as Mr. Jindal, having $985,213.43 cash on hand, according to his FEC release. Mr. Walker concluded the quarter with $161,133.45 in debt but indicated that it would be paid and donations returned.
The biggest driver of Mr. Walker’s campaign debt was staff salaries, which came in at about $2 million. Communications director Kirsten Kukowski, campaign manager Rick Wiley and director of operations Matt Hall each made an annual salary of more than $200,000. Mr. Hall’s company, Harbinger LLC, also was paid $143,425 in August and September.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race in early September, had $44,553.59 cash on hand at the end of the third quarter and had begun paying back his donors. Mr. Perry has no outstanding debts to pay.
• David Sherfinski contributed to this report.
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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