Pence’s campaign raises $3.3M in third quarter, reports $620K in debt

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s 2024 campaign raised $3.3 million during the third quarter and has accrued $620,000 in debt, according to an official who confirmed the figures to The Hill ahead of filings being made public.

The campaign has $1.2 million in cash on hand, and the official confirmed that Pence himself gave $150,000 to the campaign from his personal funds.

The numbers lag far behind former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the GOP primary contest, as well as other candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), underscoring how Pence has struggled to gain traction in the crowded field.

NBC News first reported on Pence’s third-quarter fundraising figures.

Pence, who launched his campaign in June, has focused heavily on policy and what he views as traditional conservative values. He has sought to draw clear contrasts with Trump and other candidates on abortion and foreign policy in particular, where Pence has voiced support for federal action to limit abortion access and for ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine.

The former vice president is banking on a strong performance in the Iowa caucuses in January, where the state’s more evangelical voting base may be more receptive to Pence’s message.

A YouGov/CBS News poll conducted in September found Pence polling at 6 percent, behind Haley (8 percent), DeSantis (21 percent) and Trump (51 percent).

Pence’s fundraising numbers reflect the difficult path he may face in climbing higher in the polls and overtaking the likes of DeSantis and Trump.

Trump’s campaign raised over $45 million during the third quarter of 2023, dwarfing his rivals. DeSantis’ campaign raised roughly $15 million, while Haley raked in $11 million. Those totals give each of those campaigns far more money than Pence’s operation to invest in staff and advertising in the three months before the Iowa caucuses.