Ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley raises more than $14m for 2024 US presidential run

WASHINGTON - Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley has raised more than US$11 million (S$14.6 million) in the first six weeks of her presidential run.

Ms Haley received 70,000 donations across all 50 states, the vast majority of which were under US$200, her campaign said in a news release on Wednesday that described the contributions as a sign of her broad appeal and effective fundraising efforts.

The amount raised was a sizeable sum that eclipses what former President Donald Trump was able to raise during the same period after announcing his candidacy.

Ms Haley was the

first major Republican candidate to enter the race

with Trump, who announced his third bid for the White House shortly after the midterm elections in November. He raised only US$9.5 million in his first six weeks, his campaign said in February, a relatively weak showing.

But the announcement of

criminal charges against him in a hush-money case

appears to be helping him make up for the sluggish start. He has pulled in more than US$7 million since his indictment on Friday, his campaign said on Tuesday.

Early polling has shown Ms Haley trailing significantly behind Trump and

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida,

who has not yet formally entered the race. She has sought, in her early and energetic campaign stops, to position herself as a “tough-as-nails woman” who could offer a seasoned, reasonable alternative.

The fundraising sum reflects the six-week period between Feb 14, when Ms Haley formally entered the race, and the end of March. An official figure will be released in the coming weeks as part of the campaign’s required quarterly filing.

She had about US$7.8 million cash on hand at the end of the quarter, her campaign said.

Mr Eric Tanenblatt, a Georgia-based Republican strategist and fundraiser who has supported Ms Haley since her state campaigns, said the numbers “solidify” her as a serious candidate and give her “a good foundation to build on”.

“It is a robust number,” said Mr Tanenblatt, who hosted a fundraiser for Haley last month. “I don’t think anyone should underestimate her.”

The numbers released on Wednesday do not include money raised by Stand for America PAC, the political action committee (PAC) she created in 2021 and is aligned with her campaign. Such groups can raise unlimited funds from donors, while funds raised by the campaign committees are held to strict caps for individual donors.

Her super PAC had raised US$17 million and reported US$2 million on hand at the end of 2022, filings showed. The next round of figures is due in July.

A super PAC supporting Trump reported having US$54.1 million on hand at the end of 2022.

As for Mr DeSantis, a super PAC aligned with him said on Tuesday it had raised US$30 million since March 9. He also had at least US$80 million in a state committee at the end of February, Florida records show.

But it is the funds raised by campaign committees, despite the restraints, that are considered a more critical measure of a candidate’s popular appeal.

The money they raise goes further; for example, federal law allows political candidates to pay the lowest available price for broadcast ads, while super PACs have no such protections.

“In just six weeks, Nikki Haley’s massive fundraising and active retail campaigning in early voting states makes her a force to be reckoned with,” Ms Haley’s campaign manager, Ms Betsy Ankney, said in a statement Wednesday.

“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.”

Ms Haley has made a big ground-level push in early primary states. In February and March, she made several trips to Iowa and New Hampshire for town halls, meetings with local lawmakers and other voter events. NYTIMES