Ron Paul announced Wednesday that he raised over $8 million in the third quarter — far outpacing the $5 million projection reported earlier this week.



The haul should place the Texas congressman third amongst Republican candidates — Rick Perry announced collecting $17 million since entering the race and Mitt Romney was projected to bring in around $12 million — though other GOP contenders have yet to announce their totals. It will also ensure that Paul is well-funded throughout the primary.



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"We do have pretty sound numbers on the amount of money we collected," Paul said at a lunch at the National Press Club. "We are very pleased with that and believe it will give us the energy to keep us moving along."Paul's campaign also noted that the campaign had more than 100,000 donors, five times as many as fellow Texan Rick Perry.

The financial quarter ended Sept. 30, and candidates are required to disclose results by Oct. 15



Earlier this month, Paul's campaign announced that it had netted more than $1 million in a Constitution Day "money bomb" fundraiser. Paul has used these grassroots fundraisers, which encourage his online network of supporters to donate over short time periods.



“Our campaign continues to grow in strength and numbers, and the success of these truly grassroots events is a telling example of Dr. Paul’s support,” campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said. “Our rising poll numbers and successful fundraising demonstrate that Dr. Paul’s strong message of constitutionally limited government, a traditionally Republican non-interventionist foreign policy and a return to sound money is clearly resonating with the American people.”

