FDT Raises $8 Million

Thompson campaign raises $8M in third quarter (City Paper/Rodgers)

Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign raised more than $8 million for the third quarter of this year, an official with his campaign confirmed Monday. The former Tennessee senator took in money from more than 70,000 donors and since announcing his presidential aspirations Sept. 5 has averaged more than $200,000 raised per day. The money does not include the $3.5 million he took in for the month of June.

The more than $8 million covers the time from July 1 to Sept. 30. Last week, Thompson argued that his fund raising numbers should be judged “apple to apple” with other candidates for only the three-and-a-half weeks he had been running, not three months. That’s despite Thompson raising funds for the entire third quarter. He said he wasn’t running on “all cylinders” for most of that period since he wasn’t an official candidate.

Stuart Rothenberg, the editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, has said Thompson should be judged against the first quarters of candidates when they entered the field. Rothenberg has said Thompson should have raised about $20 million.

Outside of Thompson, one of his opponents for the Republican nod, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), raised more than $5 million. The totals for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney weren’t available.
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