It’s no surprise to see Jeb Bush hauling in large amounts of cash from his sizable Rolodex of political donors.
With more than a handful of his GOP competitors having already released tentative fundraising numbers, the long wait for Bush’s official campaign haul is over.
On Thursday, Jeb’s super PAC, Right to Rise, announced that it had raised $103 million since the launch of an exploratory committee in January.
Because federal campaign finance regulations require strict contribution limits and conditions, Bush delayed his official announcement in order to take advantage of the ability to work directly with the PAC for six months before a mandated separation.
Jeb’s closest Republican contender so far appears to be Sen. Ted Cruz who has raised through four separate PACs a total of $38 million, although that cash hoard has failed to propel him back into the top tier from which he has fallen since his announcement.
Bush’s century mark more than doubles the amount reported by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and associated groups putting yet another squeeze on her campaign to emerge from the cloud of scandal.
Some analysts point out that Bush may likely find himself in a situation very similar to Mitt Romney’s in 2012 in which his lack of support in the early primary states will have to be buoyed by heavy ad spending to discredit his more popular GOP opponents.
