WASHINGTON — A week into her presidential campaign, Nikki Haley isn’t showing anyone the money.
At least not yet.
While modern White House campaigns traditionally offer some glimpse of initial financial data to demonstrate enthusiasm and propel media momentum, Haley’s team did not respond to inquiries on its fundraising out of the gate.
Analysts say it’s a potentially troubling sign for her.
“If they have numbers to be proud of, they’d share. Especially underdog campaigns,” said Tim Tagaris, a Democratic strategist who helmed Bernie Sanders’ digital fundraising apparatus in 2016.
The benchmark for release is usually $1 million, particularly for long shot campaigns with something to prove.
Ted Cruz hit that marker in the first 24 hours of announcing his 2016 presidential bid. Kamala Harris pulled in $1.5 million on the first day after jumping into the 2020 campaign.
Even U.S. Senate candidates in marquee races regularly bank $1 million on Day 1, wrote Kyle Tharp, author of the FWIW newsletter, noting that Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff in California quickly crossed that threshold this cycle, as did Rep. Ruben Gallego in Arizona.
“Nowadays, raising anything less than $1 million in 24 hours seems like stumbling out of the gate,” Tharp observed of Haley’s announcement last week. “The clearest measure of success and enthusiasm on a campaign’s launch day is how much money they can raise — especially from grassroots, small-dollar donors. If everything went well, Tuesday should have been one of Haley’s biggest fundraising days of the entire campaign.”
There’s no way of knowing Haley didn’t hit the $1 million marker last week. The campaign has no obligation to disclose its finances until April 15, when first quarter filings are due with the Federal Election Commission.
But analysts contend there’s even less reason to withhold impressive numbers that would validate a candidate’s roll out and extend interest around it.
Haley was the first candidate to challenge former President Donald Trump’s bid for the 2024 Republican nomination. On Tuesday, the GOP field grew to three with the addition of Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy Ohio-based entrepreneur who, like Haley, is Indian American.
But another South Carolinian is also nearing a 2024 decision. Sen. Tim Scott is appearing in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday as he continues to tease a presidential run that would set up a direct clash with Haley over support and cash.
As a federal office holder just off an easy reelection, Scott would enjoy a leg up financially over Haley. He ended the year with nearly $22 million in the bank, money that could be seamlessly transferred to a White House run.
Axios reported that a super PAC already mobilizing behind Scott, dubbed “Opportunity Matters Fund Action,” has banked $17 million in preparation to boost the candidacy of the Senate’s only Black Republican.
Haley’s super PAC, “Stand for America,” reported having just $2 million in the bank to start the year, whereas Trump’s super PAC, “Make America Great Again Inc.” is sitting on $54 million.
Haley’s finances could become an issue due to the length of the campaign she’s embarking on. While her early announcement seized attention for becoming the first candidate to challenge Trump, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor now has to figure out how to fund a race for nominating contests that don’t commence for another year.
Haley spent sparingly during her launch last week, according to FWIW, the newsletter tracking digital spending.
“Her team chose not to run Facebook fundraising ads featuring rally clips or her launch video — which seems like a major mistake,” wrote Tharp.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign continues to engage Haley digitally as she’s toured South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa. The images paid for by Trump’s joint fundraising committee proclaim, “Nikki Haley said she’d back President Trump in 2024. Are you also backing Trump in 2024?”
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