Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida raised $20 million within the first six weeks of his presidential run, his marketing campaign stated Thursday, a considerable sum that solidifies his place because the main rival to former President Donald J. Trump.
While the quantity falls in need of the $35 million that Mr. Trump’s marketing campaign stated the previous president raised within the three months ending June 30, Mr. DeSantis had solely half the time to herald marketing campaign funds after formally getting into the race in mid-May.
In addition to the $20 million the DeSantis marketing campaign stated it had raised, a brilliant PAC backing Mr. DeSantis, Never Back Down, stated Thursday that it had collected $130 million since March. But almost two-thirds of that sum was transferred to the group from a state committee that had supported Mr. DeSantis’s re-election bid final 12 months.
The totals provided by the campaigns — extra detailed numbers don’t must be filed with the Federal Election Commission till July 15 — present the primary glimpse into the fund-raising battle between the main candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, a race that would set data for spending.
The $20 million raised by Mr. DeSantis contains $8.2 million that his marketing campaign stated it had taken in on its first full day of fund-raising in late May, suggesting that the tempo of its fund-raising tapered off considerably thereafter.
Excluding the switch from Mr. DeSantis’s state committee, the newest numbers additionally present that Never Back Down raised extra money in its first three weeks than it did over roughly the final three months.
The fund-raising slowdown comes after a bumpy marketing campaign rollout that has caused questions from donors and supporters about its route.
But Kristin Davison, chief working officer of Never Back Down, stated that the cash raised “shows an unparalleled, unprecedented and massively successful fund-raising operation no other candidate in this race has.”
Mr. Trump has raised most of his marketing campaign’s money by means of his management PAC, Save America. In latest months, The New York Times reported, Mr. Trump has diverted a higher portion of donations he receives to the PAC, which he has used to pay his private authorized charges.
Mr. Trump’s marketing campaign stated on Wednesday that it had raised a complete of $35 million between April and June — almost double what the committee had raised within the first quarter of the 12 months, reflecting hefty fund-raising bumps within the wake of his two indictments, in New York City and Florida.
Shane Goldmacher contributed reporting.
Source: www.nytimes.com