Florida Governor Ron DeSantis broke a fundraising record for a gubernatorial campaign in the United States, raising $175.8m for his campaign committee and affiliated political action committee according to a disclosure he filed on Friday.
The number exceeds that of all other fundraising except for money that candidates give to their own campaigns. By comparison, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is running for reelection, raised $116.8mn as of 30 July 2022.
Mr DeSantis’s fundraising haul surpasses fundraising goals his own campaign had set. A source close to Mr DeSantis told The Independent earlier this year that he hoped to raise $150m for his reelection campaign. It also is set to eclipse the $176.4m that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker raised when he ran for governor in 2018.
Most recently, Mr DeSantis has gained attention for his flying of migrants from Venezuela, who would otherwise go to Florida, and dropping them off at Martha’s Vineyard. Mr DeSantis did so on the grounds that Massachusetts is a “sanctuary state” and he has argued that Democrats and the Biden administration do not take immigration seriously.
The Florida governor narrowly won his first campaign for governor against former Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum in 2018. But he is largely expected to beat his Democratic opponent, former governor and current US congressman Charlie Crist.
“He’s been successful at basically all levels of GOP fundraising,” Rob Jesmer, a former executive director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told the Financial Times.
Along with small-donor contributions, Mr DeSantis has cultivated a strong base of support among big-money financiers like billionaire Ken Griffin and major Republican donors Richard and Liz Uihlein. All of this is certain to fuel speculation that Mr DeSantis will likely run for president in 2024 and could pose a credible challenge to former president Donald Trump if the latter runs.
Mr DeSantis has built credibility among conservative activists for largely keeping Florida open during the Covid-19 pandemic. Similarly, he’s signed legislation restricting how racism is taught in schools, as well as signing the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill.