Wealthy Donors Continue to Pour Money Into Nikki Haley’s Long-Shot Presidential Bid

(Bloomberg) -- Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley tapped both Wall Street and grassroots supporters to raise $16.5 million in January, her campaign said, giving her plenty of cash to continue her longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

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The haul doubles the pace at which she raised money in the fourth quarter of 2023, but may not be sustainable. It is unclear how much of the money was raised before Haley came in behind former President Donald Trump in both the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. And she is trailing by 27-points in her home state of South Carolina, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls. Voters go to the polls there on Feb. 24.

Still, she brought in $11.7 million from grassroots donors, including $5 million the week after coming in second in New Hampshire, he campaign said. She also attended higher-dollar fundraisers in New York and Miami, where she courted the Wall Street titans who have been backing her bid.

Billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller, Henry Kravis, and Cliff Asness co-hosted a New York fundraiser Tuesday. And Haley attended fundraising events in Florida on Wednesday, including a roundtable in Miami hosted by Starwood Capital Group’s Barry Sternlicht alongside a group of supporters including hedge fund veteran Dan Och. Haley will fundraise this week in California.

Haley’s campaign said the January total, first reported in Axios, was its highest month to date.

Haley’s allied super PAC, SFA Fund Inc., has also benefited from large contributions from major donors, including Citadel’s Ken Griffin, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum and Paul Singer of Elliot Investment Management, each of whom gave $5 million in the fourth quarter.

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