On January 28, Quayle filed with the FEC to officially form an exploratory committee. On February 3, before an audience in Indianapolis, Quayle announced that he had established an exploratory committee. In the proceeding weeks, he traveled to numerous spots around the country on a campaign tour, including New Hampshire, which holds the first primaries in the nation. That same month, he talked to former President Bush about the campaign and said that the former president was going to support his son in the election, which Quayle said was understandable. On March 19, Quayle criticized President Bill Clinton and his administration's relationship with China at a speech given to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, which The Washington Post called "the first foreign policy speech" of his campaign. Through April, however, Quayle continued to poll in the single digits. On April 8, Reuters reported that Quayle's campaign had raised over $2 million, placing him behind Bush and McCain (who had raised approximately $7 million and $4 million, respectively), but ahead of candidate Gary Bauer, who had raised about $1.4 million. According to Sununu, former President Bush's support of his son significantly helped his fundraising at Quayle's expense.
