Nikki Haley raises $24 million as Iowa caucus nears

(NewsNation) — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign said Wednesday that it hauled in more than $24 million in the latest fundraising quarter.

That tally is more than double what Haley’s campaign raised in the third quarter and triple what she raised in the second. Her campaign said nearly 83,900 new donors contributed to Haley between October and December.

The uptick in fundraising is a sign the former U.N. Ambassador continues to build momentum ahead of the Iowa Caucuses which are now less than two weeks away.

On Tuesday, Haley briefly passed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average for the first time in the 2024 campaign.

“This is a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump,” Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney said in a statement.

That may be premature as Haley still trails DeSantis and Trump in Iowa, but advertising suggests the former president’s campaign has noticed her rise.

In an email blast earlier this week, the Trump campaign accused Haley of wanting an open border. The former South Carolina governor fired back during an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.

“President Trump’s giving me some attention these days and I’m kind of flattered,” she said. “I’m flattered because I know he sees what we’re seeing and that means we’re surging.”

Haley’s campaign says it has $14.5 million in the bank currently.

Other GOP candidates have yet to announce their fourth-quarter fundraising numbers. However, Trump’s campaign raised $45 million in the third quarter, more than triple Haley and DeSantis.

The former president remains the clear frontrunner for the GOP nomination and currently leads by about 50 points in national polls.

The first in the nation Republican primary contest will take place in Iowa on Jan. 15.