On top of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad poll for President Obama today, there is some good press for one Republican who seems on the verge of jumping into the race. Though not exactly breaking news, Reuters is reporting on Rick Perry’s fundraising network, something that will make him a formidable opponent in either the nomination race or the general election.

According to Reuters: “As governor, he has raised $103 million since 2001, with nearly half of that coming from big donors giving $100,000 or more, according to Texans for Public Justice. During the last cycle alone, he raised about $39 million.” The report notes that the money “cannot be used for a presidential run but is an indicator of his ability to garner support.”

Perry’s longevity as a Republican executive, as well as his time spent as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has given him a fairly impressive network of donors and connections, and there is still plenty of money left to be raised in the GOP primary season. He has groups that can raise unlimited funds already raising money for him, like the California-based Americans for Rick Perry. And Cleta Mitchell told Reuters that the RGA’s expanded base of big-money donors has a lot to do with Perry’s fundraising abilities. “Many, many conservative donors who used to be big donors to the RNC (Republican National Committee) have gravitated to the RGA and Perry’s been a big part of that,” she said.

Given that the Obama campaign is aiming at raising $1 billion, the potential GOP nominees will have to prove they can compete. The “electability” of a potential nominee is important to Republican primary voters, and Perry’s fundraising may help him make the case that he is electable.