Nikki Haley’s super PAC well is running dry.
Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission show that SFA Fund Inc., the main organization backing the former South Carolina governor’s bid for the White House, had just over $3 million in cash left through 2024, very below the 14 million dollars it had in July.
The decline is not a good sign for the super PAC, which reported spending about $300,000 on Haley merchandise, such as T-shirts and stickers, and hundreds of thousands on “postage.”
SFA’s primary expenses include advertising, media placement, and “filing fees” to appear on state primary ballots.
“We have spent a million [dollars] this week in South Carolina to support Nikki’s efforts and we plan to spend millions more next week,” an SFA representative told The Post on Thursday. “This is all due to our strong, robust fundraising we’ve seen since January.”
Meanwhile, Haley’s actual campaign entered the election year with $14 million in cash on hand, according to FEC filings, down from $11 million after the third quarter of 2023.
Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event, ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary election, in Conway, South Carolina, January 28, 2024. REUTERS
The campaign raised $2.6 million in 48 hours after finishing second to rival Donald Trump in the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, and has seized on her threats to blacklist her donors as a tactic of marketing, earning an additional $150,000 from the sale of T-shirts that read: “Banned. Permanently.”
Haley will hold 10 fundraisers in the coming weeks across the country to boost her campaign coffers ahead of the Feb. 24 primary in South Carolina.
“As long as you can continue to fundraise, you’ll be able to keep your message and get it in front of more people,” Palmetto State Republican strategist Dave Wilson told The Post.
“But if the money starts to dwindle, if he doesn’t keep up with the demands of the campaign, the candidacy will really come into question.”
A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley attends a campaign event ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary election, in Mauldin, South Carolina, January 27, 2024. REUTERS
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign enters 2024 with $33 million in cash on hand.
The main pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., reported $23 million on hand, down from $54 million in July.
The 77-year-old’s campaign has been plagued by legal fees, with various pro-Trump committees spending approximately $27 million on them in the final six months of last year.
“Trump is spending tons of money on his legal chaos, which will only get more expensive in the coming months,” Haley’s campaign said. “Trump spent a staggering $50 million on legal fees in 2023 and $29 million in the last six months with plenty of shenanigans going on. In an unusual move, he appears to have moved $30 million from his super PAC, MAGA Inc., to his Leadership PAC, Save America, in order to pay his legal bills.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn