Perry raises $17 million in his first quarter

Republican presidential hopeful and Texas Governor, Rick Perry is reporting that he has raised at least $17 million in the third fundraising quarter. This figure places him at the top for fundraising amongst all of his rivals.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Perry's campaign said that it had at least $15 million in cash on hand as of September 30. Perry has generated this money slightly less than 50 days after announcing in mid-August that he would seek the Republican nomination.

His campaign boasts 22,000 donors from all 50 states. Virtually all of his money on hand will be spent during the primary campaign, according to his staff.

Approximately half of Perry's donors live in Texas were he has served in elected offices since 1991.

Perry's campaign manager, Rob Johnson, said "The generous contributions from Americans across the nation prove the overwhelming support for Governor Perry's principled, conservative leadership and vision to get America working again. Governor Perry deeply appreciates the energetic support and hard work of the thousands of Republican volunteers and activists who've helped us build a strong and growing organization in just seven weeks."

Although Perry has been the front-runner since mid August his numbers have steadily declined in recent weeks. Experts blame inconsistent debate performances and growing criticism over his immigration policies. However, his fund-raising acumen is likely to help his campaign, as the money can be spent bolstering support that has been lost over the past few weeks.

Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, has not yet released his totals for the quarter. Insiders have said that Romney expects to have raised between $11 million and $13 million during the last quarter. This follows a very successful first quarter in which Romney raised eight $18.2 million which was more than any other candidate at that time.

Romney's campaign is optimistic. They point out that Perry's first quarter of fundraising is still smaller than Romney's. Additionally Romney has gained new support after yesterday's announcement by New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, who said that he would not be seeking the Republican presidential nomination. Several of Christie's supporters have already joined the Romney camp. Most notable among them, Ken Lagone, the founder of Home Depot and a large Republican donor.

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