Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s longshot challenge to former President Donald Trump is drawing major funding away from the incumbent president. Thousands of previous Biden donors are instead putting their dollars toward derailing the former president’s bid for the GOP nomination.
In its most recent fundraising report, the Haley camp revealed that over 5,200 donors who contributed to Biden in the 2020 race have donated recently to the Republican.
No Biden isn't a decent man, nor do I support you but I find Democrats denying you security loathsome & abhorrent. Nikki Haley was granted security because she is staying in a race she cant win but attacking Trump, which helps Democrats, the same Democrats who are funding her but… pic.twitter.com/To5rOi2iwv
— OrgConservAmericans (@OCAmericans) February 19, 2024
Politico reported that more than 1,600 of those apparently well-heeled donors contributed over $500,000 to Biden three years ago.
Haley’s report noted that she received “large dollar” donations of $200 or more from 55,000 individuals during January. And she apparently pulled some donations away from Trump.
The outlet said that over 10,000 2020 Trump supporters donated to Haley during this campaign, including more than 3,000 just in January.
Politico observed that crossover donors, those who contribute to both political parties, are a rare breed. This makes the sheer total of Biden supporters now making donations to Haley all the more remarkable.
And consider that Haley strives to be the Republican on the ballot in opposition to Biden come November.
Haley’s campaign, despite the influx of cash, still managed to spend more than it took in during January. The former U.N. ambassador raised $11.5 million and shelled out $13.1 million last month, according to federal filings submitted Tuesday.
This meant that January, which also included the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, was Haley’s largest month for donations.
She currently has just under $13 million in cash on hand. This compares to Trump’s over $30 million reported this week.
Trump continues to dominate the race for the Republican nomination as Haley is now his only remaining challenger. Even in her home state of South Carolina, the former governor trails the 45th president by at least 30 percentage points in nearly all polls.
Still, she says to anyone who will listen that she is in the race for the long haul, no matter the results of the South Carolina primary. “I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere.”
That is apparently what Biden supporters are counting on.