Campaign

Pence gets fundraising boost after first debate

by Tara Suter - 08/29/23 4:55 PM ET

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence talks to members of the media in the spin room following the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former Vice President Mike Pence saw a fundraising boost in the wake of last week’s first Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee.

The Pence super PAC Committed to America saw $250,000 in donations the day after the debate, spokesperson Mike Ricci confirmed. A Pence adviser told The Hill the campaign saw more than 1,000 small-dollar donations overnight following the debate.

On Sunday, Pence said he is “more confident” that the 2024 GOP presidential nominee will not be his former boss, Donald Trump, after last Wednesday’s debate. However, Trump still leads the Republican field by a wide margin, with a polling average of 35.3 percentage points above the second-most popular candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to FiveThirtyEight.

“Well, look, I signed a pledge to be on that stage to say that I support the Republican nominee,” Pence said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”

He added, “I remain confident, more confident after Wednesday night, that the Republican nominee will not be the former president, that we’re going to give the American people a standard-bearer for the GOP that’s going to be able to lead us to victory against Joe Biden and the radical left.”