Presidential candidate Marco Rubio had been gaining ground in Philadelphia and the surrounding area even before his latest national surge following his breakout debate performance.

According to the Inquirer analysis of the latest Federal Election Commission filings, the Florida senator had already raised more money in Philadelphia and its seven surrounding counties than any other Republican nominee, even before his productive October swing through the region.

Early returns showed that Rubio received $75,902 for his Philadelphia events on September 30th alone, which represented just over half of the $148,482 he had received from Philadelphia and its surrounding counties until that date. Almost 90% of those donations came from Pennsylvania suburbs where around a third of donors gave $1,000 or more.

The October 15th campaign stop in Philadelphia raised even more, resulting in a boost to his campaign coffers of close to $584,000. During his stay, the senator met some high-end donors for breakfast at the Rittenhouse, gave a speech at the Union League, returned to Rittenhouse for another private session, and closed out the very successful day with a reception at the Crowne Plaza in King of Prussia where he gave an impassioned speech to a crowd of nearly 800.

During the King of Prussia event, which was organized by the Republican Committee of Chester County, Rubio decided to take to the stage ahead of schedule to speak to the crowd where he told his story about immigrant parents, opportunity, and the future.

“As the world is changing, our policies have not kept pace because our leaders are out of date,” he told the gathered crowd.

Val DiGiorgio, the Chester County Party Chairman, said that the response from the attendees has been “overwhelming.” He also noted that his wife, who is a native Honduran, has mobilized support for Rubio from Hispanic civic leaders from both parties.

Jamie Arnold, a Berwyn resident who heads a financial planning firm, called the young senator a “fresh face” among the other candidates, pointing out that Rubio is moderate enough in his policies to succeed in Pennsylvania. Arnold donated to his campaign after receiving a mail solicitation.

“He doesn’t have that ‘entitled’ thing that some of the old politicians in our country have,” added Arnold.