Report: Jeb Bush's Wall Street Donations Plummet 85 Percent
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Wall Street is pulling its support away from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
According to Yahoo! Finance, big donations from Wall Street to Bush's super PAC Right to Rise dropped by 85 percent in the second half of 2015. Funding would've plummeted to 95 percent if not for the $10 million gift from former AIG CEO Hank Greenberg.
Despite the drop-off, Bush still received far more money from Wall Street than any other group. Yahoo! Finance reports Right to Rise received more than 1,500 individual donations of $10,000 or more. Hillary Clinton's Priorities USA super PAC came in second – with just 73 donations.
Wall Street donors now appear to be backing Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The Florida senator's Conservative Solutions rose 331 percent from the first half of 2015 to the second. Kasich's New Day for America raised $3.5 million in less than six months.
Yahoo! Finance reports Sen. Ted Cruz's four super PACs received 57 percent of their money from financial-industry sources, but are essentially funded almost entirely by three wealthy donors.
On Wednesday, Bush suffered a setback after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio, three days before the state primary.
The Democratic field is already down to two candidates -- Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Saturday's Nevada caucuses are next for them, with a South Carolina primary on Feb. 27.
Both Clinton and Sanders are appealing to black voters, as blacks make up more than half of the Democratic primary electorate in South Carolina and several other southern states.
For the Republicans, the only thing that is clear heading into the South Carolina primary appears to be Trump's grip on the lead following his victory in the New Hampshire primary. Cruz, the winner of the Iowa caucuses, is also in the mix for a strong finish.
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