Rick Perry Raised $17 Million In Partial 3rd Qtr After Entering GOP Race Late

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's poll number may be sagging, but his campaign is flush with cash. Perry's campaign says it raised more than $17 million in the third quarter.

Perry entered the Republican presidential primary race in mid August with just 49 days left before the quarterly filing deadline. But in that short time he's shot to the top of the money race.

His $17 million haul likely outdoes front-runner Mitt Romney's efforts over the summer. Meanwhile, Perry's campaign says it's kept spending so low that it has $15 million cash on hand.

At the Romney campaign, a spokeswoman says they, "feel good in the strength of our finance team."

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is also picking up some big fundraisers who'd been backing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Christie shut the door Tuesday on a White House bid.

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