Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has smashed fundraising records and has now raised $218 million for his campaign war chest, more money than any governor in U.S. history.
The massive campaign fund has fueled major speculation that DeSantis is eyeing a run for president in 2024. And with the nationwide momentum he has right now, that would probably be a natural assumption.
The record fundraising was reported by Forbes, which cited a review of campaign finance disclosures that were seen by the Financial Times.
DeSantis’s fundraising capabilities had already caused Democratic insiders to bemoan the fact that whoever the left-wingers find to run against him for governor, said candidate won’t likely be able to raise enough money to unseat the Republican powerhouse. And at that time, all DeSantis had was $100 million in the bank.
Now DeSantis has zoomed past that benchmark. And his Democrat opponent, perennial candidate Charlie Crist, is not even close.
FORBES: Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised over $218 million in his reelection campaign — an all-time gubernatorial fundraising record
FL Governor Fundraising
(R) Ron DeSantis: $218 million
(D) Charlie Crist: $17 million https://t.co/kTabRFlRmj pic.twitter.com/i2vIksZwpg— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) September 19, 2022
Desantis’ fundraising prowess puts him ahead of some heavy hitters.
As Valiant News explained, “DeSantis’s $218 million and change dwarfs the $176 million raised by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2018, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman’s $176 million raised in her failed California governor bid in 2010.”
Do you think DeSantis should run for President in 2024?
Yes: 73% (32 Votes)
No: 27% (12 Votes)
This new big money total also far outstretches his past campaign bank. In 2018 when he ran for governor the first time, he only raised $58 million. His latest haul is amazingly quadruple of his first campaign fund totals, Valiant News added.
Unlike former President Trump, who also used much of his own money for his campaign, DeSantis has not turned his back on big donors. Then again, since he isn’t a billionaire himself, that should come as no surprise.
DeSantis’s star has been rising, too. In February, he came in second (28 percent) to Donald Trump (59 percent) at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll. But by June, a University of New Hampshire Survey Center found DeSantis (39 percent) with a narrow lead over Trump (37 percent). And on Wednesday, a poll of Florida Republicans gave DeSantis an even more substantial lead by favoring DeSantis by 48 percent to Trump’s 40 percent, USA Today noted.
DeSantis has become a hero of Republicans everywhere, especially for his latest high-profile move of sending two planeloads of illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard. And to the delight of center-right Americans, he quickly appeared on TV to ridicule the left’s hand wringing and said “their virtue signaling is a fraud.”
The Florida governor was quickly supported by many, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who blasted authorities on Martha’s Vineyard when they declared the arrival of 50 illegals a “humanitarian crisis.”
But DeSantis also won the hearts of Republicans and conservatives across the country for other policy moves.
He was highly praised for suspending left-wing Hillsborough County DA Andrew Warren who made the mistake of directly stating that he would not uphold the state of Florida’s laws because he deems it “racist” and “sexist.”
DeSantis also found hearty support early in the coronavirus pandemic when he refused to bow to the lockdown crowd and kept Florida mostly open for business and assured that his state would recover from the threat of the virus much quicker than any other state.
At this time, neither Trump nor DeSantis has made any commitments to run for the White House in 2024. And while Trump seems highly likely to launch such a campaign, if he had the desire to, DeSantis could give Trump a run for his money. Literally.
Whatever DeSantis decides to do for 2024, it appears as if he is a front runner for anything he wants to do if the size of his campaign war chest is any indication.
