Politico: 'Red Flags' in Fundraising Reports for Clinton, Bush, Rubio

The financial reports of fundraising efforts by Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are raising "red flags," an analysis by Politico claims.

Politico questions whether Clinton's "increasingly tapped-out big donor base can maintain her massive campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination."

The campaign shelled out a whopping $26 million from July through September, more than double that of any other presidential candidate.

The political website adds the former secretary of state "dramatically expanded her campaign infrastructure, forking over $8.6 million in payroll-related costs, $1.6 million for polling and $641,000 for office space.

"To maintain her spending pace, Clinton likely will need to significantly expand her fundraising base to include more small donors, who can ― and usually do ― continue giving throughout the race," Politico's Ken Vogel, Isaac Arnsdorf and Theodoric Meyer write.

On the Republican side, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush relied more on major donors and less on small donors in the third quarter than all other presidential candidates with top-tier-level campaigns, Politico says.

But both Bush and Clinton "posted precariously high burn rates in the third quarter, spending about 85 percent as much as they raised, respectively — nearly identical to the burn rate of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who quit the race due to lack of funding.

The third-quarter showing of Rubio is "disappointing," Politico says, with the senator from Florida posting a huge 80-percent burn rate on a small campaign intake of $5.7 million.

According to a compilation of financial disclosures, funds raised in third quarter (July 1-September 30) among the leading Republican candidates show:

• Ben Carson: $20.8 million

• Jeb Bush: $13.4 million

• Ted Cruz: $12.2 million

• Carly Fiorina: $6.8 million

• Marco Rubio: $6 million

• John Kasich: $4.4 million

• Chris Christie: $4.2 million

• Donald Trump: $3.9 million

On the Democratic side, funds raised in the third quarter:

• Hillary Clinton: $28 million

• Bernie Sanders: $24 million

The Hill reports the campaign filings also revealed that former Florida Gov. Rick Perry, who has already dropped out, raised a paltry $300,000 in the third quarter. Walker has $1 million in debt.

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