Mary Lou Masters
The super political action committee (PAC) supporting former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential bid raised $50.1 million during the second half of 2023, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed on Thursday.
Haley’s presidential bid garnered the attention from Wall Street executives toward the end of last year, as well as a major Democratic donor, likely helping fuel SFA Fund Inc.’s massive fundraising haul, according to Bloomberg. The fundraising total tops MAGA Inc.’s, the main super PAC boosting former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, which announced on Thursday it brought in over $46 million during the same time period.
Billionaire Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor, gave Haley’s super PAC a $250,000 donation in late 2023, and has argued that she has the best shot at beating Trump in the primary, The New York Times reported on Dec. 5. However, he reportedly vowed Wednesday not to give her efforts more financial support after her loss in New Hampshire.
Many wall street executives, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, took interest in Haley’s bid in the fall.
A group of top Republican donors, including billionaire Ken Langone, will hold a fundraiser for Haley Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.
Haley’s aligned super PAC did not share additional information about the group’s fundraising ahead of the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC’s) Jan. 31 deadline, while an official for the former president’s revealed that MAGA Inc. entered the election year with $23 million cash on hand.
The NYT first reported SFA Fund Inc.’s numbers Thursday.
SFA Fund Inc.’s haul is a significant amount more than its fundraising from January to June 2023, where it brought in only $18.7 million in total receipts, according to FEC filings. MAGA Inc. also increased its numbers from $14.6 million in the first half of 2023.
Haley’s campaign announced on Jan. 3 it had raised $24 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a press release. Conversely, Trump’s team has yet to release his fundraising numbers for the same period.
The announcement follows Haley’s loss to Trump in New Hampshire by 11 points on Tuesday, as well as her third-place finish in the Iowa caucus just a week earlier.
The former ambassador received a majority of support from undeclared voters, self-identified Democrats and “moderate/liberal” individuals, according to CNN’s exit polling. Additionally, Haley brought in support from non-religious individuals, urban voters and non-gun owning households.
Haley insisted that she would stay in the race despite her two-loss record, telling her supporters at the campaign’s watch party that “this race is far from over, there are dozens of states left to go. And the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina!”
The next nominating contests will take place in Nevada on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8, where Haley is not competing for the state’s delegates. Haley’s home state of South Carolina follows on Feb. 24, where she hopes to shore up support from her former voters.
Trump currently has a 30-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average for a South Carolina primary, and has the backing of the state’s top Republicans — Gov. Henry McMaster, Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
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