WASHINGTON -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have had a rough couple weeks on the campaign trail, but that didn't translate to a weakness in fundraising for the newest entrant in the GOP 2012 race.

RickPerry.org raised $17.1 million since August 13, and has $15 million in cash on hand.

Perry's chief rival for the GOP nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, brought in $18 million during his first three-month fundraising period, but was expected to report about $15 million or just under that.

Donations raised for Perry during 49 of the 92 days in the third quarter came from more than 22,000 unique contributors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, the campaign said. Fifty-one percent of donors live outside the state of Texas, it added.

"The generous contributions from Americans across the nation prove the overwhelming support for Gov.