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 retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with $20.7 million raised—though he spent about half that sum simply on fundraising appeals. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush followed with $13.4 million, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with $12.2 million, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina with $6.8 million.
Real estate mogul 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 shoestring campaign.
Cruz tops the race for cash-on-hand, followed by Carson, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and then Bush—all possessing north of $10 million in the bank. Lagging in the money race were the governors, New Jersey’s Chris Christie and Ohio’s John Kasich, who raised $4.2 million and $4.4 million respectively, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who raised just $2.5 million as he has dropped precipitously in polls.
See Ben Carson's Life in Photos
An early childhood photograph of Ben Carson.Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignBen Carson's graduation from Southwestern High School, Detroit circa 1969.Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignBen Carson with his mother, Sonya, and his future wife, Candy after his graduation from Yale University, circa 1973. Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignDr. Donlin Long, director of neurosurgery, left, and Dr. Ben Carson director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, with brain model of the Siamese twins separated in a 22-hour surgery at Hopkins, Sept. 7, 1987, in Baltimore.Fred Kraft—APDr. Ben Carson shares his personal story with middle school students on March 17, 2000 in Roswell, N.M.Aaron J. Walker—APDr Dennis Rohner, Dr Beat Hammer, Dr Ivan Ng, Dr Ben
Carson, Prof. Walter Tan, and Dr Keith Goh rehearse an operation to
separate conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani from Iran at Raffles
Hospital on July 5, 2003 in Singapore.ReutersDr. Keith Goh (left) adjusts the frame on conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani as Dr. Ben Carson observes the start of neurosurgery proceedings at the Raffles Hospital on July 6, 2003 in Singapore. Getty ImagesTen-year-old Indian twins Sabah and Farah sit beside Ben Carson (C), Managing Director, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, Anne Marie Moncure, their father Shakeel (L), their brother (R) and senior child specialist of Apollo Hospital, Dr. Anupan Sibal, on Oct. 4, 2005 in New Delhi.Raveendran—AFP/Getty ImagesGeorge W. Bush presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Carson for his work with neurological disorders on June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington.Alex Wong—Getty ImagesBen Carson officially announces his candidacy for President of the United States on May 4, 2015 in Detroit.Bill Pugliano—Getty ImagesBen Carson poses for a photo during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Dinner on May 16, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa.Charlie Neibergall—APBen Carson speaks during the Energizing America Gala at the 2015 Southern Republican Leadership Conference May 22, 2015 in Oklahoma City, Okla.Alex Wong—Getty ImagesBen Carson at a political fund-raiser for GOP candidates on June 6, 2015, in Boone, Iowa. Jabin Bostford—The Washington Post/Getty ImagesRepublican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Andrew Harnik—APBen Carson prays during church services at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines , Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesBen Carson rides the Sky Glider with a reporter while touring the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesBen Carson and his wife Candy on Aug. 18, 2015 in Phoenix.Ross D. Franklin—APBen Carson is greeted by supporters at a rally on Aug. 27, 2015 in Little Rock, Ark.Danny Johnston—APBen Carson at a service at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines.Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images
In the Democratic primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is giving former Secretary of State 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, long-shot candidate 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.
