Where Will Bush’s Donors Go?

To find out, we searched the candidates' Federal Election Commission filings for contributors who have given money to more than one campaign.

By Adam Pearce | February 26, 2016

Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the race on February 21, shared the most donors with Marco Rubio—more than he shared with all other Republicans still in the race. Rubio declared earlier than Bush, in April 2015, and initially led in campaign contributions. When Bush officially entered the race in June, he began successfully soliciting money from Rubio donors. After Bush’s campaign failed to catch fire, though, contributions to his campaign slowed to a trickle. By the fall, more Bush donors were switching to Rubio than the other way around.

Daily contributions from shared donors
Rubio Bush

Rubio is also inheriting money from supporters of Carly Fiorina, who dropped out of the race on February 10. Unlike Bush, Fiorina gathered momentum—and donors—from her strong debate performances. The chart below tracks the number of people who gave to Rubio and then gave to Fiorina over time (and vice-versa). The number of Rubio donors giving to Fiorina spiked after the August and September debates. But as her campaign faltered in the third quarter of the year, Rubio continued to attract her donors.

Daily contributions from shared donors
Rubio Fiorina

If John Kasich, who won less than 4 percent of the vote in the Nevada caucus and is trailing the GOP frontrunners, ultimately decides to exit the race, none of the remaining GOP candidates can expect much of a windfall. Kasich shares no donors with Rubio, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, or Donald Trump, and had no crossover with Bush or Fiorina, either. The candidates who might see a small fundraising bounce from a Kasich withdrawal? Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Which Candidates Share Donors?

Click a candidate to see how their support has changed over time.