News

DeSantis Shatters All-Time Fundraising Record, Gives Money To Republican Candidates

   DailyWire.com
Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Launched in 1974, the Conservative Political Action Conference is the largest gathering of conservatives in the world.
Tristan Wheelock / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ (R) political operation has raised a historic $177.4 million, more than any other governor in history, and that was before he sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard last week, which erupted into the week’s top national news story.

Open Secrets reported that a review of state campaign finance records showed DeSantis’ re-election campaign has raised more than $31.4 million since January 2021, while DeSantis’ state-level PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, has raised $146 million.

DeSantis’ massive political war chest has likely grown since he sent 50 illegal immigrants to the Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy leftist enclave, last week, sparking left-wing outrage as he drew attention to President Joe Biden’s border crisis.

Open Secrets compiled a list of the top 20 most likely presidential candidates for 2024, including Biden and former President Donald Trump (R), and DeSantis crushed all of them in fundraising.

The top-five candidates ranked in order by fundraising totals are:

  1. Ron DeSantis (R), governor of Florida, $174,285,801.
  2. J.B. Pritzker (D), governor of Illinois, $133,252,795.
  3. Donald Trump (R), former U.S. president, $131,052,563.
  4. Tim Scott (R), U.S. Senator from South Carolina, $35,325,367.
  5. Mike Pence (R), former U.S. vice president, $18,000,000.

Biden has only raised $11,850,907, while Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who has repeatedly sought to boost his national profile by attacking DeSantis, has only raised $6,776,976.

DeSantis is not being stingy with his money as he is giving millions to help down-ballot Republicans to further increase GOP majorities in the state legislature. Trump, on the other hand, is not shelling out money to help Republican candidates–at least not yet–as Republican leaders are trying to get him to financially boost the campaigns of Republican candidates that are falling behind.

DeSantis hammered Biden over his administration’s response to DeSantis sending the 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard last week by noting the lack of urgency that the administration has shown in confronting other crises.

“I also was a little bit perplexed when I heard that the president is scrambling to get his Cabinet together to try to address the fact that you have governors who are helping to relocate illegal aliens to sanctuary cities,” DeSantis said. “Now, he didn’t scramble to get his Cabinet together when we had millions of people illegally pouring across the southern border.”

“He didn’t scramble to get his Cabinet together when you had 43, 53 migrants die in some trailer in Texas because they were neglected by the federal government,” DeSantis continued. “You didn’t see him scramble to get his Cabinet together when we had Americans that were victimized by criminal aliens that he let across the border. You didn’t see him scramble to get his Cabinet together when we hit record fentanyl deaths, which, that fentanyl is coming across his open border. It’s only when you have 50 illegal aliens end up in a very wealthy, rich sanctuary enclave that he decides to scramble on this.”

DeSantis said that as governor, he is focused on continuing to “use every tool at our disposal to insulate the state of Florida from the negative ramifications of his reckless border policies.”

RELATED: Conservatives Cheer After DeSantis Sends Illegal Immigrants To Martha’s Vineyard: Time To ‘Pay Their Fair Share’

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  DeSantis Shatters All-Time Fundraising Record, Gives Money To Republican Candidates