Nikki Haley Nets $11 Million for Campaign in Six Weeks

Nikki Haley, the Republican presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina, has raised more than $11 million in the first six weeks of her campaign, according to her campaign manager. Ms. Haley, who was also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, announced her candidacy on Feb 15.

The majority of her 70,000 contributions came from small donors who gave $200 or less, comprising almost 96% of her total donations according to a statement made on Apr. 5. She also ended the first quarter of 2023 with $7.8 million in her war chest.

“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,” said her campaign manager, Betsy Ankney in a statement.

Ms. Haley has focused much of her initial campaigning efforts on small-scale events such as town halls and meet-and-greets in early-voting states, conducting nineteen such events in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Her campaign statement contrasted her $11 million in early funding to the $9.5 million raised by former President Donald Trump in the first quarter of his 2024 campaign. However, the former president raised $7 million in the three days after news of his indictment in New York, according to aides. Trump raised nearly $812 million during his 2020 election campaign and over $350 million for his 2016 run.

Ms. Haley, a native of Bamberg, South Carolina, was the first Indian American to hold statewide office in the state and the first to hold a cabinet-level position in the U.S. government. While she had previously indicated that she wouldn’t challenge President Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024, in announcing her candidacy she said, “We’ve lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.”

Trump responded by saying, “I’m glad she’s running. I want her to follow her heart—even though she made a commitment that she would never run against who she called the greatest president of her lifetime.”