Kasich supporters raise $11M

The super-PAC backing Ohio Gov. John Kasich has raised more than $11 million in just over two months, a spokesperson for the group confirmed to The Hill.

{mosads}Politico first reported the $11.1 million haul for New Day for America, noting that more than half of that total came from the Buckeye State, where Kasich is in the midst of his second term as governor.

New Day Independent Media Inc., a tax exempt group that also backs Kasich, reported raising $600,000 in June, making the total haul of the two groups about $11.7 million.

The haul puts the groups right in the mix with a sizeable portion of the GOP field for third place in fundraising totals, behind the group supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb, which raised more than $100 million.

Groups supporting Sen. Ted Cruz have raised $37 million.

Other major candidates, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have all reportedly raised more than $10 million.

Since New Day filed as a super-PAC after June 30, it doesn’t have to file with the Federal Election Commission for the first half of the year. It raised that haul as a 527 tax-exempt group before becoming an “independent-expenditure only committee,” nicknamed a super-PAC.

New Day is expected to record the haul in a filing with the IRS later Thursday. FEC filings for groups that operated as super-PACs during the first half of the year are also due Thursday.

Kasich has seen a rise in the polls since he announced his bid last week. He’s up to 5 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, an increase from 2 percent in the university’s May poll. And he’s even higher in New Hampshire, where the latest Monmouth University poll found him tied with Walker in third place with 7 percent.

“Gov. Kasich has built a strong base in Ohio and has attracted donors nationally because supporters have seen, many firsthand, how his policies and leadership are working in Ohio,” Connie Wehrkamp, a New Day spokeswoman told The Hill in a statement. 

“He’s taken his state from an $8 billion shortfall to a $2 billion surplus, he’s cut taxes by $5 billion and over 350,000 private sector jobs have been created under his watch. Americans want a president who understands them, has a forward-looking vision for our country and produces results, and that’s exactly why support for John Kasich continues to grow.”

This story was updated at 4:06 p.m.