RFK Jr. raised — and spent — a lot of money last quarter

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised nearly $9 million and burned through more than $7 million over the past three months, his last quarter as a Democratic Party primary challenger.

Kennedy's campaign had $6.1 million cash on hand as of Sept. 30, according to the latest report with the Federal Election Commission. That is a significant total, rivaling some lower-polling GOP challengers, but the campaign’s astronomical spending also signals potential sustainability challenges as Kennedy looks to mount a nationwide independent presidential campaign through November 2024.

There are some signals his move to run as an independent may help him with fundraising. The super PAC supporting his bid said it raked in $11 million within six hours of his launch event on Monday, although his campaign has not released numbers and cannot accept donations as large as the super PAC can. Public filings following his independent campaign launch won't be available until after the end of the year.

The environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist significantly added to his campaign trail schedule this summer and early fall, making stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina in addition to general election swing states. The campaign also opened field offices in New Hampshire and South Carolina as well as a campaign headquarters in New Jersey.

The single biggest expense over the last quarter was more than $916,000 for security services paid to the firm of Gavin de Becker, a security specialist who also gave $4.5 million to a super PAC backing Kennedy’s candidacy earlier this year.

In July, the Kennedy’s campaign asked for secret service protection. ButHomeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas determined that providing security was “not warranted at this time.” Most presidential candidates do not receive secret service protection during a primary.

The request and subsequent private security expense come after numerous comments Kennedy has made around the political assassinations in his own family. In a cable news appearance earlier this year, Kennedy claimed that the CIA was involved in killing his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.

The campaign also reported spending more than $260,000 on travel and also purchased a campaign vehicle from Land and Sea Specialty, an RV dealer in Florida, for almost $200,000.

Kennedy also continued a series of documentary-style videos, including one focused on a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, and increased his digital media presence during the reporting period, and the campaign said it spent $218,000 on media production expenses across several different vendors.

And nearly $180,000 went to the consulting company of former congressman Dennis Kucinich, who had served as Kennedy’s campaign manager since the spring. Kennedy’s campaign announced on Friday that Amaryllis Kennedy, his daughter-in-law and a former undercover CIA agent, would be taking over as campaign manager.

“He is now handing off the baton to the team he did so much to cultivate,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Amaryllis is a woman of extraordinary intelligence and drive who I am confident will take this campaign to the next level.”

Amaryllis Kennedy has been with the campaign since the spring and was the highest-paid campaign staffer in the third quarter, making $49,000. The Kennedy campaign spent $720,000 in total staff salaries from July through September.

More than two-thirds of Kennedy's third-quarter fundraising came from donors who gave at least $200. Just over $3 million came from donors who have given at least $3,300 to his campaign, while $2.7 million came from small-dollar donors who gave less than $200 apiece.

Kennedy relaunched his campaign for president earlier this week as an independent candidate, quitting the party that his family helped define in the 20th century.

That Oct. 9 announcement occurred after this reporting period and would not have impacted his third quarter fundraising. But it will be reflected in the next reporting period deadline at the end of January.