Pence Campaign Racks Up Debt As Contributions Fizzle Out

As third-quarter campaign fundraising reports begin to surface for candidates in the Republican presidential primary race, it seems clear that former Vice President Mike Pence has some catching up to do.

According to preliminary data, his long-shot White House bid currently has $1.2 million in cash on hand — including $150,000 Pence himself contributed to the cause — but the campaign is expected to report $620,000 in debt. In total, the Pence campaign raised approximately $3.3 million during the most recent quarter.

Of the $1.2 million his campaign currently has to spend, roughly one-sixth can only be used during the general election cycle because it came from supporters whose contributions had already exceeded the primary campaign donation cap. 

Pence’s financial bind stands in stark contrast to some of the more popular options in the primary race. Front-runner Donald Trump, for example, raised a whopping $45.5 million during the third quarter and has access to roughly $36 million to spend during the primary race.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, has stockpiled more than $9 million for primary-campaign expenses after raising more than $11 million in the most recent quarter.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised more than Haley — about $15 million — but only about one-third of that amount is available for the primary race. His campaign currently has roughly $13.5 million in cash on hand.

Pence’s money woes are not the only major hurdle standing in the way of his White House bid. Although Trump has been widely seen as the prohibitive favorite since entering the race, other candidates have seen their popularity ebb and flow throughout the intervening months.

The former vice president, however, has consistently remained at the bottom of the pack and his favorability rating among Republican voters is firmly underwater.

Last month, Pence was pressed during a Fox News Channel interview on his sixth-place standing among GOP presidential hopefuls.

He attempted to deny that his campaign is in trouble, citing what he is “seeing on the ground” as supposed evidence that pollsters are wrong.

“We’re just going to continue to take our message, my lifetime in the conservative movement, and offer a fresh vision for the Republican Party and for America,” Pence concluded.