WASHINGTON (AP) _ Jeb Bush has shattered political fundraising records with an extraordinary haul designed to shock and awe his Republican competitors.
Now he has to figure out how to spend it.
Bush and his allies reported Thursday they had collected more than $114 million through the end of June, including $98 million in the bank. That’s likely at least twice as much as his next closest Republican competitor.
Yet Bush has no direct control over 90 percent of the money. The total includes $103 million raised by a super PAC. And by law, the super PAC can’t take direction from Bush’s Miami-based campaign. The two operations have limits on how they can communicate.
The system was designed by Bush’s most trusted advisers. It’s a strategy untested in modern politics.
