Rick Perry super-PACs rake in nearly $17 million

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential bid has been bolstered by almost $17 million in donations to outside groups since January, super-PAC advisers told CNN Friday.

Austin Barbour, a senior adviser for the Perry super-PACs, told CNN that two groups — Opportunity and Freedom PAC and Opportunity and Freedom PAC I — raked in $12.8 million in the first half of 2015. A third group, created this week, accepted a $4 million from one donor, Barbour said.

The web of super-PACs allows donors to have greater control over the groups’ messages and how the groups will frame Perry, Barbour told CNN.

“If they were going to give a million dollars or $5 million, they really want to be able to participate,” Barbour said.

“They know that the final decisions on strategy and execution still lie with me and our team.”

The haul puts Perry right in the mix with other GOP candidates, excluding the super-PAC backing former Gov. Jeb Bush. That group, Right to Rise PAC, raised a staggering $103 million, more than all of the other groups that have announced combined.  

“Look, nobody’s going to compete with Jeb Bush, It’s impossible. Congratulations to them,” Barbour told CNN.

“But, we have enough money now to keep us competitive in this process for a long time.”

Groups supporting Gov. John Kasich (Ohio) raised $11.5 million since May; those supporting Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) brought in $16 million since April; groups backing Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) raised $37 million; and CARLY for America, which supports former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina, raised $3.4 million. Those figures all reflect a fundraising period that ended on June 30, before the Perry group received the $4 million check.

The rest of the field has not yet released their totals. The final numbers are due July 15.