Rand Paul super-PACs raise nearly $5 million

Two super-PACs backing Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) presidential bid have raised nearly $5 million for the first six months of 2015, the groups announced Friday.

More than $3 million of that haul comes from America’s Liberty PAC, while the remaining $1.88 million was raised by Concerned American Voters PAC.

{mosads}John Tate, the president of America’s Liberty, said in a statement that he’s “very pleased” with the results.

“This sum shows that Sen. Paul has real support in this race for President and we are working tirelessly to assist him by airing TV ads, managing and collecting data and running a top-notch digital campaign,” he said.

“We are just getting started and this financial support will allow us to continue to give Sen. Paul the help he needs in this race. Instead of spending millions on slick TV ads, we have invested and are building a tech-savvy, highly-targeted data driven effort that can be used to effectively manage the tremendous grassroots support that Sen. Paul has built over the years.”
 
America’s Liberty made headlines with an eye-popping ad touting the Kentucky senator’s opposition to government surveillance programs. Complete with a fire-breathing bald eagle and chiseled Paul, the ad slams President Obama, as well as Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for their defense of the spy programs.
 
The group also released an ad needling former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) as “Bailout Bush” because of his support for the government propping up companies during the financial crisis.
 
The majority of America’s Liberty PAC’s haul came from just two donors — George Macricostas, the founder of a Nevada IT company, and Jeff Yaas, the owner of a Pennsylvania investment firm — according to Federal Election Commission filings. Concerned American Voters has not yet filed with the FEC, but its forms are due by the end of the month.
 
The figure pales in comparison to the massive fundraising totals announced by Bush’s super-PAC of more than $100 million, and are well behind those of groups supporting Paul’s rivals, including his colleagues Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

— Updated at 6:51 p.m.