Oct 16 is way past primaries, and $1.25M was pocket change in 2016. The voters chose Trump and the voters made him a viable candidate in the primaries. The money and institutional backing came afterwards.
A lot of candidates use money to get the votes. Trump’s message, unfortunately, resonated with a lot of voters so he was able to use the votes to get the money.
>Trump has spent much of the race so far breaking the mould of a traditional campaign, defeating a crowded field of primary opponents who vastly outspent him in ads and staff.
>During the Republican primary race, he often told his supporters not to contribute money and ridiculed opponents for accepting cash from special interest groups and wealthy contributors.
>He has so far showed little interest in calling donors to ask for money for his general election battle. He only began holding in-person fundraisers in late May.
A lot of candidates use money to get the votes. Trump’s message, unfortunately, resonated with a lot of voters so he was able to use the votes to get the money.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/us/politics/robert-mercer...
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/trump-shrugs-off-campa...
>Trump has spent much of the race so far breaking the mould of a traditional campaign, defeating a crowded field of primary opponents who vastly outspent him in ads and staff.
>During the Republican primary race, he often told his supporters not to contribute money and ridiculed opponents for accepting cash from special interest groups and wealthy contributors.
>He has so far showed little interest in calling donors to ask for money for his general election battle. He only began holding in-person fundraisers in late May.