First on Fox: Haley more than doubles her fundraising with a $24 million haul the past three months

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Nikki Haley says she's 'hitting it hard' on the campaign trail weeks before Iowa and New Hampshire

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley says she should have 'stated the obvious' when it comes to her 'Civil War' comments, but 'that nobody on the ground is talking about it'.

EXCLUSIVE - Nikki Haley's Republican presidential campaign says they brought in $24 million during the October-December fourth quarter of fundraising, in another sign of the Republican presidential candidate's momentum in recent months.

The haul, shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, is more than double the $11 million raised in the third quarter and more than triple the $7.3 million brought in during the second quarter by the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in former President Donald Trump's administration.

With less than two weeks to go until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar, the Haley campaign touted that they had $14.5 million cash on hand in their coffers as of the beginning of the new year.

Haley's team, showcasing their grassroots appeal, noted that it has received contributions in the past three months across their three campaign committees from 180,000 donors, including 83,900 new contributors, which they said were "nearly the same number of unique donors in all the previous quarters combined."

HALEY'S MOMENTUM IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE APPEARS TO BE PAYING OFF

Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall in Rye, New Hampshire, on Jan. 2, 2023. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

And they touted that $16.25 million of the fourth quarter fundraising haul came from digital and mail grassroots efforts.

"This is a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump," Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney emphasized in a statement.

And Ankney claimed that "Nikki is the only Trump alternative with the voter support, the operation, and the resources to go the distance. Our momentum continues to build as we head into 2024."

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Haley's campaign didn't provide a breakdown of money raised for the Republican primaries versus fundraising for the general election.

Haley has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nominating calendar.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis headlines a town hall in Concord, New Hampshire, on Dec. 15, 2023. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

She also aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where the latest polls suggest she is pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the far and away frontrunner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House bid.

HALEY AND DESANTIS TURN UP THE VOLUME ON EACH OTHER

Haley appears to be the first of the major Republican presidential contenders to showcase their fourth quarter figures. The candidates have until Jan. 15 to file their fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Trump hauled in a whopping $45.5 million during the third quarter across his multiple fundraising committees, with over $37.5 million in his campaign coffers as of the end of September.

Former President Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, Dec. 19, 2023. (Reuters/Scott Morgan)

DeSantis brought in $15 million in the third quarter, down from his $20 million haul the previous three months.

Haley has run a frugal campaign since declaring her candidacy in February of last year. But in recent weeks she's added campaign staff and along with an aligned super PAC has launched a major ad blitz in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

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"First of all the accountant in me saved cash this whole time through, and it’s just that we’re spending it smart and right now it’s go time," Haley said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of a town hall in Rye, New Hampshire. 

Haley emphasized that "we’re less than two weeks out from Iowa, three weeks from New Hampshire, and we’re hitting it hard. We’re getting our message out. We’re shaking every hand, we’re answering every question. We’re rallying and the momentum on the ground is real. We feel it. It’s strong. People want something different. They’re ready."

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley shakes hands with supporters and voters at a town hall in Rye, New Hampshire, on Jan. 2, 2023. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

But Haley hit a road bump last week, with an unforced gaffe as she neglected to mention slavery when answering a question at a town hall in New Hampshire on the causes of the Civil War. 

Haley's comments, and her clean-up attempts over the next two days, stirred controversy as they grabbed plenty of national attention.

Haley once again acknowledged in her Fox News interview that "I should have said slavery right off the bat. I was overthinking it… and I should have stated the obvious and we tried to clear that up."

"I think we’re moving on," she added. "But nobody on the ground is talking about it."

And pointing to the media, she said, "You guys have enjoyed talking about it, but nobody else is talking about it."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.