Group Backing JEB! Bush Reports Still Having Vast Resources

(New York Times) - Right to [Rule], the “super PAC” supporting Jeb Bush, reported Sunday evening that it still had nearly $59 million to spend heading into 2016. The report did not include the heavy spending during the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses, when the group unleashed a blizzard of ads.

The group, which released its year end report in a Tweet, said it has raised $118 million to date, including $15.1 million in the second half of 2015.

Most of the $118 million came early on, when Mr. Bush seemed like a more sure bet, able to harness his dynastic family’s connections, as well as a deep Rolodex of donors, to position himself as a presumptive frontrunner. Of the $15.1 million the group raised, $10 million came from a single donation from Hank Greenberg, the former chairman and CEO of American International Group.

Mike Murphy, the group’s chief strategist, has come under fire from some donors and Bush supporters, amid concerns that he was burning through their money with few tangible results. (Mr. Bush still sits at single digits in most polls).

But the group’s impressive cash-on-hand number — $58.6 million — should help the group prop up Mr. Bush’s struggling campaign, despite its recent heavy spending in Iowa and New Hampshire

“We’ve always planned for a long process and the strong support we continue to receive ensures that we’ll be able to support Jeb Bush well after the February early-state contests,” said Paul Lindsay, a spokesman for the group. Read more.