THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Some people don't like clowns and a large number of top Republican donors seem to be part of this group. As the occupancy of the clown car is expected to climb to 17 soon, it becomes difficult to choose one over the others, they all look alike.

Only about a fifth of the 1,000 or so fund-raisers and their spouses who rallied around Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee in 2012, have given money to any of the 2016 candidates, according to a New York Times review of fund-raising records reported by the candidates last week.

Those who remain uncommitted — hundreds of volunteer “bundlers” who could collect contributions from their friends and business associates — represent a huge pool of untapped campaign cash, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars, that could remake the primary campaign.

Some of the bundlers and donors said they had held back, in part, because the field was the strongest they had seen in years, with several viable contenders representing the party’s different generational and ideological segments.

Unlike in 2012, when Mr. Romney dominated fund-raising even as he fought off a series of insurgencies by more populist candidates, the affections of many donors in 2016 are divided among three or four candidates. Others are quietly weighing the impact of Donald J. Trump, who has jumped to the lead in some national polls despite raising almost no money from the party’s establishment.

“I haven’t committed to anyone at this point, and I’m not on the verge of committing to anyone,” said Paul E. Singer, a hedge fund manager who is among the most sought-after Republican bundlers in the country, at an investment conference last week. “I think there are a number of candidates that are smart, solid, good potential leaders, leaders and potential leaders.”

The slow recruitment of major donors and bundlers is also a function, several donors and Republican leaders said, of the candidates’ early emphasis on raising money for “super PACs,” which tend to be funded by a much smaller pool of extremely wealthy donors.

Candidates cannot solicit the unlimited checks that fuel super PACs, and several White House aspirants delayed entering the race this year and spent the winter and spring securing commitments from mega-donors. One result: Vast amounts of money are already flowing into the Republican race, but mostly to super PACs, not candidates. Super PACs and outside groups backing individual Republican candidates have raised about $230 million, while the candidates took in just $64 million through the end of June.

Candidates can't solicit for Supreme Court PACs unless you name is JEB!. And this is a problem for the other clowns. Everybody wants to see how this will turn out.