DeSantis Holds Money Advantage Over GOP Contenders

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has one key advantage over Republican contenders in the upcoming 2024 presidential election cycle: cash.

DeSantis, who has not announced his bid for the White House but is expected to do in the near future, reportedly has more than $110 million in donations, according to public filings and people who represent the entities, Politico reported.

That’s nearly double what the super PAC backing former President Donald Trump had at the end of 2022 ($55 million) and significantly more than former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who have announced 2024 bids.

“If DeSantis gets in, he’s going to have a huge amount of momentum and I think the donor class and the [fund]raiser class are going to be with him,” supporter Roy Bailey, a Texas fundraiser who helped lead Trump’s prior presidential fundraising efforts, told Politico.

“The people I speak to are either major donors or major raisers. For a time now, it has been very clear to me from my conversations around the country with those people that they are hoping DeSantis gets in the race and I think their money will follow,” Bailey added.

Some of the wealthiest and most prolific Republican donors have already given DeSantis a major financial boost.

Trader and investor Jeffrey Yass donated $2.5 million to DeSantis’ state political committee on Feb. 7; billionaire brothers Jude and Christopher Reyes each gave DeSantis’ committee $1 million in late February, CNN reported.

DeSantis’ political committee has more than $71 million left over from last year’s reelection effort, and that money can be moved into a federal PAC if he runs.