Jeb Bush brought in more than half a million dollars on Thursday — and he did it on the home turf of GOP presidential rival Chris Christie.
An aide to Bush confirmed that he raised more than $500,000 at two events. The figure was first reported by the New York Times.
Bush, a former Florida governor, has long been courting the plump-with-cash donor pool in the Garden State that Christie governs. Two helpful connections in Bush’s corner include New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who’s serving as Bush’s national finance chairman, and state Sen. Joe Kyrillos, a longtime friend of Christie’s who’s also been a supporter for the Bushes.
Not long after Kyrillos decided to back Bush over Christie, the New Jersey governor said in a radio interview in April that he wasn’t taking the decision as a personal slight.
“He made a business decision. That’s all. That’s the only way I view it,” Christie said. “He thinks Jeb Bush is be a better candidate for president, that’s OK. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t like me and doesn’t mean we’re not still friends.”
Bush’s profitable day in New Jersey builds onto the impressive amount of $11 million his campaign raised by the end of June, a sum bolstered by the more than $100 million that his super PAC raised this year.
Unlike Bush, a former governor, Christie’s campaign could be affected by an arcane rule known as “pay to play.” Approved in 2010 by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the rule bans financial firms that do business with state and local governments from receiving state contracts for two years if employees donate more than a few hundred dollars to governors and other public officials.
With Christie governing a state that’s home to many employees of financial firms just across the river in New York, the rule could especially have an impact on his campaign, compared to other governors.
A spokesperson for Christie’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bush’s fundraising numbers.
