DeSantis Raises Over $100 Million For Reelection—Will It Fund A 2024 Presidential Bid?

Topline

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly raised over $100 million in his reelection bid – the most a Florida governor has ever spent to win an election – raising eyebrows over whether he will use leftover funds for a potential 2024 presidential run.

Key Facts

A source close to DeSantis told CNN the Republican governor expects to raise roughly $200 million this campaign cycle, shattering the $58 million he took in during the 2018 election, and doubling the $96 million raised by former governor Rick Scott in 2014.

Anything leftover from the gubernatorial campaign – which the source told CNN would require roughly $100 million – could be used for a super PAC, where there are no caps on contributions.

The report comes four days after an Emerson College poll found DeSantis ranking second among Republican voters in a hypothetical 2024 presidential campaign with 20% of respondents supporting him as the Republican nominee, well behind former President Donald Trump (55%) and above former Vice President Mike Pence (5%).

DeSantis has so far sidestepped the question of whether he will run for president in 2024, telling Fox & Friends, in an interview last month, “Nice try.”

Tangent

Florida betting sites peg DeSantis as more likely than Trump to defeat Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential race. FloridaBets gave DeSantis a 25% chance to win the presidency, over Trump (23%) and Biden (15%), while PredictIt put DeSantis 10 points above Biden.

Key Background

Tensions between Trump and DeSantis – one of the former president’s biggest supporters while he was in office – have been growing for the past six months as the Florida governor refused to say whether he was considering a presidential run. Trump slammed him over Florida’s response to rising Covid-19 cases last winter and his refusal to say if he had received a vaccine booster, calling him “gutless.” DeSantis fired back in April, saying on the conservative podcast “Ruthless” that one of his biggest regrets in office was not speaking “much louder” against Trump’s response to the pandemic, which he saw as a sign of panic. A recent University of New Hampshire poll had DeSantis out in front of Trump by two points (39% to 37% of New Hampshire voters). Trump has faced backlash over the past month for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol Riot. The hearings raised new questions about Trump’s behavior after new testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchison, who said Trump allegedly attacked his head of security in a limousine on January 6 when he was told not to attend the riots.

Chief Critic

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a series of political ads that appeared in Florida on Fox News over the July 4 weekend, attacking DeSantis for putting freedom “under attack” and urging Florida voters to “join us in California.” The $105,000 ad campaign – which aired on Fox News – targeted book bans in public schools, voting restrictions, Florida’s 15-week abortion ban (which was temporarily blocked by a judge last week), and the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill. A spokesperson for DeSantis told the Daily Wire that Newsom “might as well light a pile of cash on fire.”

Further Reading

Trump Leads Biden By 5 Points In Hypothetical 2024 Presidential Poll (Forbes)

Ron DeSantis has raised more than $100 million for his reelection bid. Could he use that money in a presidential race? (CNN)

Trump Slams DeSantis? He Criticizes ‘Gutless’ Politicians Who Won’t Share Covid Booster Status (Forbes)