Cruz presidential campaign nets $12 million over summer

The new numbers are being circulated by the campaigns ahead of a deadline next week to report fundraising to federal regulators.

Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Florida-R) spoke at a rally in Sun City Summerlin Thursday evening.

Carson took in a whopping $20 million in the third quarter, an astonishing figure for a political neophyte. To date, Cruz has raised just under $30 million for his individual campaign, against around $18 million for Rubio.

Most of the 2016 presidential candidates also benefit from allied super PACs and nonprofit groups that can raise and spend unlimited sums of money on their behalf. He’s not legally allowed to coordinate with those groups, however.

The source, who requested anonymity because the totals had not yet been released publicly, said Rubio’s campaign officials stressed that they had been budgeting accordingly and running a frugal operation. Rubio’s implied spending rate is consistent with that, but also calls attention to the fact that he needs to begin raising significantly more money if he is going to be competitive buying media in the early voting states.

Both Cruz’s and Rubio’s campaigns sought to project momentum heading into the fall. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose campaigns said they raised $28 million and $26 million respectively in the third quarter. As someone whose family lost their country to communism, he understands the true meaning of freedom and the importance of American strength to preserve and protect it. As someone who required tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to get through school, he has lived the same experience that millions of other Americans have, and the challenges created by crushing student debt.

Without a significant boost in fundraising, Rubio’s campaign may have to face a few hard choices very quickly.