The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Wednesday announced that it raised $135 million through the end of March, calling it a record for a presidential cycle.
The RNC added $11.5 million in March, bringing its total for the 2016 cycle to $135.4 million. It reported having $16.1 million cash on hand, with its debt remaining at $1.8 million.
{mosads}RNC chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement that the GOP had “built the best-resourced political party in history.”
“The record-breaking level of grassroots support we’ve gotten this cycle is powering our ability to build a robust field organization in every battleground state,” Priebus said, arguing Democrats would drive the country “further into the ditch.”
“Thanks to the generosity of our contributors, we will enter the general election fully prepared to turn over to our nominee a state of the art data, digital, and ground game infrastructure that will help propel them to victory in November,” he said.
The announcement comes amid chatter among some Republican fundraisers and donors that controversial businessman Donald Trump would have a difficult time winning their favor should he emerge as the party’s nominee at the Republican National Convention in July.
Trump has indicated he’d rely on outside funding for a general election campaign after largely financing his primary bid through a series of personal loans, though he’s operated a relatively inexpensive campaign, benefiting from free media attention.