Morning Must Reads: October 16

The numbers are in, and the outsider candidates are winning.

Third quarter campaign finance reports were due in by midnight and the results weren’t great for establishment candidates. Three of the top four GOP fundraisers are outsider candidates, led by Ben Carson with $20.7 million raised—though he spent about half that sum simply on fundraising appeals. Jeb Bush followed with $13.4 million, Ted Cruz with $12.2 million, and Carly Fiorina with $6.8 million. Donald Trump, who has pledged to self-fund his campaign didn’t have to this quarter, raising $3.9 million in unsolicited funds to cover the cost of his shoe-string campaign. Cruz tops the race for cash-on-hand, followed by Carson, Marco Rubio, and then Bush—all possessing north of $10 million in the bank. Lagging in the money race were the governors, Chris Christie and John Kasich, who raised $4.2 million and $4.4 million respectively, and Rand Paul, who raised just $2.5 million as he has dropped precipitously in polls.

Across the aisle, Bernie Sanders is giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money, raising $26.2 million to her $29.9 million. She also has more cash on hand, at $33 million to Sanders’ $27 million, which she is burning through at a brisk clip. (In case you were wondering, Lincoln Chafee raised $11,336 in the third quarter. He owes himself $364,000.)

The fundraising numbers are just the latest confirmation of what the polls show: the bipartisan frustration with mainstream candidates—more acute in the GOP—is driving support and dollars to candidates who pledge to overthrow the current political order. The cash gives these candidates what polls don’t—the ability to act on their agendas, enabling them to stay in the race far longer than many would have expected just months ago.

Also: What Mitt Romney thinks of a Paul Ryan speakership. Ted Cruz’s humor campaign. And turmoil at the Democratic National Committee.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Rand Paul Campaign Promises That He Is ‘Here to Stay’
TIME’s Alex Altman on the campaign’s efforts to remind people he’s still in the race

Ted Cruz’s Favorite Stump Speech Tool: Jokes
The conservative firebrand is yukking it up on the stump, TIME’s Philip Elliott reports

Hillary Clinton Basks in the Afterglow of the Las Vegas Debate
TIME’s Sam Frizell on Clinton’s new spring in her step

Top Party Official Accuses Democratic National Chairwoman of Lying and Questions Her Leadership
Democratic Party drama escalates [New York Times]

Obama Loses ‘Peacemaker’ Legacy
A president who sought to end wars has found himself prolonging them instead. [Politico]

Sound Off

“As a Floridian, I’m a little disappointed, because he’s missing, like, 35 percent of his votes. And it’s just, kind of, like, dude, you know, either drop out or do something, but we’re paying you to do something, it ain’t run for president.” — Jeb Bush, Jr. on Sen. Marco Rubio at a campaign event for his father Thursday in New York, escalating the campaign’s war of words with the former Bush ally

“They’re ready to take on Ted Cruz’s other hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays, next,” — White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest trolls the Calgary-born 2016 candidate in touting his beloved Kansas City Royals

Bits and Bites

Jeb Bush Raises $13.4 Million in Third Quarter [TIME]

Hillary Clinton’s $33 Million War Chest Outpaces 2016 Field [TIME]

Top Biden Aide Lays Out Potential 2016 Platform [Associated Press]

Jeb Bush Talks to TIME about Being a Joyful Grinder [TIME]

Donald Trump Campaign Raises Specter of Boycotting Next Debate [New York Times]

Treasury’s Warning on Debt Limit Seen as Cudgel to Congress [New York Times]

These Two Charts Explain Why Scott Walker Dropped Out [TIME]

Obama’s Comments on Clinton Emails Collide With F.B.I. Inquiry [New York Times]

Mitt Romney Endorses Paul Ryan “For Any Role He’d Like to Take” [Soundcloud]