Perry's Haul: $17 Million

Rick Perry's campaign reports that "it raised more than $17 million for the GOP primary race between Aug. 13 and Sept. 30 from more than 22,000 unique contributors. Because of his August 13th entry into the race, Gov. Perry raised funds for just 49 of the 92 days in the quarter."

Perhaps the more important--and impressive number--is the amount of cash the campaign has on hand: "As of Sept. 30, the campaign has $15 million cash on hand. All but approximately $50,000 raised will go towards the primary race."

Politico puts the numbers in perspective:

The $17 million figure, which a Perry spokesman confirms to me, is almost as much as Mitt Romney raised in his first quarter as a declared presidential candidate this year.

It's also more than Rudy Giuliani and John McCain raised in the first quarter of 2007, when they were campaigning in a stronger economy and a more donor-rich environment.

It's also more than Rudy Giuliani and John McCain raised in the first quarter of 2007, when they were campaigning in a stronger economy and a more donor-rich environment.

Perry had slightly less time to fundraise this quarter than Romney did in his first quarter this cycle, and the Texas governor's performance could go a long way toward changing the narrative about the arc of his campaign. His haul will also increase the pressure on Romney to hand in another strong quarter, as well as to show a clear advantage over Perry in the cash on hand department.