Jeb Bush, a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, told donors at a Miami fundraiser over the weekend that he believed his allies have raised more money in 100 days than any other modern political operation in his party.
Citing unnamed sources who heard his remarks, the New York Timesreports that Bush offered no specific figure but the total is expected to be in the “high tens of millions of dollars.” Though he has not officially announced his candidacy, the former Florida governor has a deep network of donors and is set to be a daunting contender in the presidential primary.
Bush is raising money primarily through his super PAC, a type of political operation created in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that can collect unlimited funds but can’t coordinate political activities with candidates.
Until he officially declares his candidacy, however, Bush can direct the spending of his super PAC.
George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, Jan. 1, 1955.Sygma/CorbisFrom left to right: Doro, Marvin, Neil, and Jeb Bush, fall 1963.George Bush Presidential LibraryFrom left to right: Doro, George, Jeb, Marvin, George W., Neil, and Barbara Bush, 1966.George Bush Presidential LibraryJeb Bush (center) was the varsity tennis team captain during his senior year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., 1971. Seth Poppel/Yearbook LibraryGeorge Bush and his four sons, Neil, Jeb, George W. and Marvin in 1970. Bob E. Daemmrich—Sygma/CorbisJeb and Columba Bush on their wedding day, Feb. 23, 1974.George Bush Presidential LibraryJeb Bush loudly applauds his father, Republican presidential hopeful George Bush, at a campaign rally in Concord, N.H. on Feb. 28, 1980.Frank Lorenzo—Bettmann/CorbisVice President George Bush holds a fish with his sons George W. and Jeb during a family vacation in Kennebunkport, Maine in Aug. 1983.Cynthia Johnson—Getty ImagesFrom left to right (without children): Neil and Sharon Bush, George W. Bush and wife Laura, Barbara and George Bush, Margaret and Marvin, Bobby Koch and Dorothy, Jeb and Columba, are seen in this Bush family photo taken in Kennebunkport, Maine on Aug. 24, 1986.Dave Valdez—White House/Sygma/CorbisJeb Bush plays cards with his son while riding in a recreational vehicle, Nov. 8, 1993.Christopher Little—CorbisJeb Bush is interviewed at a Miami Radio Station, WIOD, Mar. 1980. He went on to become Governor of Florida in 1999.Tim Chapman—Getty ImagesGeorge W. Bush and Jeb Bush at the Republican Governors' Convention in New Orleans, 1998.
Nina Berman—SIPATexas governor George W. Bush celebrates good news with his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, while watching the presidential election returns, prior to being elected as President of the United States, inside the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Nov. 7, 2000. Brooks Kraft—Sygma/CorbisRepublican governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, studies his laptop watching vote returns for his reelection his wife Columba Bush and his parents, former President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush in Miami on Nov. 5, 2002.Joe Burbank—Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Getty ImagesRepublican nominee for President, Mitt Romney, campaigns around Florida with Governor Jeb Bush, left, Senator Marco Rubio, right, and Congressman Connie Mack, left back of head, in Coral Gables, Fla. on Oct., 31, 2012. Melina Mara—The Washington Post/Getty ImagesJeb Bush speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIME
