Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) raised just under $6 million in the third quarter fundraising period, according to his campaign.
From July through September, Scott's campaign said his political committees raised $5.92 million and ended the quarter with $13.3 million cash on hand, of which $11.6 million can be used during the primary. The campaign also said the South Carolina senator is fully funded through the early nominating states in the primary.
BIDEN CLOSED Q3 WITH MORE CASH ON HAND THAN ENTIRE GOP FIELD
In comparison, Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) political committees brought in $15 million during the third quarter, but only $5 million can be used during the primary. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, another South Carolinian in the race, brought in $11 million in the third quarter with $9.1 million in cash on hand cash on hand.
Scott's $11.6 million cash on hand bests both DeSantis and Haley but falls behind former President Donald Trump's third-quarter figures. Trump, the front-runner to become the GOP's next standard-bearer, raised $45.5 million with $37.5 million cash on hand, far outpacing his rivals.
However, Scott's campaign remains optimistic he can defeat President Joe Biden in next year's election. “Tim Scott is the only candidate with the resources and message to win the nomination and beat Joe Biden," campaign spokeswoman Nicole Morales told the Washington Examiner. "Tim’s strong, consistent, and conservative message continues to resonate with voters. On the issues, Tim has led while others have followed. This campaign is built for the long haul and will continue to share Tim’s message to protect the American dream for generations to come.”
Biden, however, reported massive fundraising numbers this quarter, with the campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and their joint fundraising committees raising $71 million in the third quarter, ahead of even Trump.
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Scott entered the presidential race with $22 million, giving him a sizable advantage in the GOP primary field. In the second quarter, he raised $6.1 million and had $21 million cash on hand.
Yet other candidates are not faring as well in the fundraising race. Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly $620,000 in debt for the third quarter but raised $3.3 million, with $1.2 million cash on hand.