Sen. Marco Rubio announced for president only Monday, but he begins the race with a $4 million financial launch pad courtesy of money he can transfer from his Senate re-election account.
The Florida Republican reported raised just over $431,000 during the first three months of the year, during his run-up to declaring for the White House. The total would not necessarily have been impressive had Rubio, 43, been in the running for a second Senate term. But the figure was enough to push his total money raised to $7.7 million since he advanced to the Senate four years ago, and left him with $4.1 million in the bank, all of it available for his three-day old presidential campaign.
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Rubio’s Senate committee reported zero debt.
Meanwhile, Rubio’s White House campaign revealed that it brought in $1.25 million online from small donors during its first 24 hours, a number in line with the other two Republican senators up their presidential kickoffs: Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky. At the end of April, Rubio’s campaign is scheduled to hold a fundraiser in Washington at the home of one of his top supporters, veteran GOP operative and lobbyist Wayne Berman.
According to a copy of the invitation, attendees are invited to be listed as a co-chairman if they raise $10,000 for the April 30 evening event. Supporters can be designated co-hosts for a $5,400 contribution. Individual tickets are available for $2,700, the legal limit for individual donors per election. Perhaps coincidentally, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida is scheduled to raise money in Washington the same day.
