Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul announced Friday that his campaign has raised over $4.5 million during the second quarter of 2011 — a figure that shows the Texas Republican well ahead of former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, both of whom have officially entered the 2012 Republican presidential campaign.
Mr. Paul, who has established his campaign as one of the leading fundraisers for the 2011 election, posted the announcement on his Facebook wall, telling supporters to continue contributing.
“We have raised $4.5 Million in the 2nd fiscal quarter of 2011! We are making history once again. Never in our lifetimes have we seen such a grassroots movement for individual liberty, sound money and non-interventionism.”
The Texas congressman captured national headlines with his multi-million “money bombs” aimed at raising millions of dollars in just twenty-four hours. Just this past week, the campaign had set a goal of raising $5 million ahead of Friday’s deadline, a goal the campaign did not reach in the second quarter.
ABC News reported the $4.5 million figure early Friday, noting that Mr. Paul’s campaign said it expects to announce an official figure later in the day. The Paul campaign noted that the second quarter figure will be north of the $4.5 figure posted on Facebook.
Earlier in the day former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman announced fundraising numbers within the range of Mr. Paul. Mr. Huntsman’s campaign said it had raised $4.2 million, while Mr. Pawlenty’s campaign announced it had raised $4.1 million. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is expected to announce raising $15 to $20 million.
