Media

Over $37 Million Spent to Stop Trump Nomination

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 20, 2016 9:44 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 11:44 am

While $27.4 million have been spent for Trump to get the Republican nomination, $37.5 million have been spent to stop him, according to an OpenSecrets analysis. The number spent includes “all outside organizations,” so it does not reflect money spent by Trump or his direct supporters.

As the election rolls on, Trump opposition will grow, as a means to deny him the nomination based on total delegates. That means the process could end at the Republican Convention in Cleveland from July 18 to July 21.

The super PACs that have raised the most to block Trump are the following:

• Our Principles PAC, $12.2 million
• Club for Growth Action, $6.3 million
• American Future Fund, $6.5 million
• Conservative Solutions PAC, $4.8 million
• Club for Growth, $2.2 million

The largest of these super PACs, Our Principles PAC, has not raised money for any other candidates and is labeled as such: “This committee is a single-candidate super PAC opposing Donald Trump (R)”

Based on election results, which have given Trump 559 of the 1,237 delegates he needs to take the race, and polls which show him ahead in a number of the upcoming state primaries and caucuses, the money spend against his nomination will grow and grow rapidly.

Do the “anti-Trump” forces have a chance? According to Nate Cohen writing in The New York Times “The UpShot” section, Trump needs 60% of the remaining delegates to be chosen as the nominee, which boils down to about 500. A lack of delegates might deny Trump the nomination on the first ballot. However, his opponents would need the help of more anti-Trump super PACs to the tune of tens of millions of more dollars.