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

Highlights: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.