Ron DeSantis raised $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after launching his presidential campaign

miami – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised a record $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his 2024 presidential campaign, as he heads toward an expensive and combative primary led by former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis’ campaign confirmed that the amount includes online donations and money raised by fundraisers at a Miami rally soliciting contributions. The division of the amount of each method is not clear.

DeSantis’ $8.2 million in revenue eclipses President Biden’s first-day fundraiser of $6.3 million on the first day of his 2020 campaign, and exceeds the $9.5 million raised by Trump in the first six months of his 2024 campaign.

Only South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who had more than $22 million In calculating his Senate re-election as he turned it into his presidential campaign, he kicked off his bid for the White House with more “hard” dollars—or money raised under federal fundraising restrictions.

More than $36 million has already been spent on ads for the 2024 race by Republican groups, according to data from AdImpact, an ad tracking company.

In Miami on Thursday, DeSantis “fundraisers,” or fundraisers who can collect money from a network of contacts, asked donors for a maximum federal donation of $3,300 to be used during the primaries, and donated a maximum of the same amount to the general election, totaling $6, $600. Donors can also make maximum pledge amounts through DeSantis’ campaign website, though they’re often expected to help raise smaller funds.

In one email, Joe Lonsdale, founder of venture capital firm 8VC, wrote that while “there are other good people we know running in this race,” his view is that DeSantis has “the best chance of winning both the primary and general election—and the best record and skills to serve our country as President.”

He continued, according to the email obtained by CBS News, “This direct campaign money is critical at this point in establishing momentum, reporting good numbers early, and accelerating the game on the ground in key states like Iowa and South Carolina.”

The super PAC supporting DeSantis’ run, Never Back Down, is projected to have a budget of $200 million, with $100 million of it going to voter participation and the ground game. PAC says it has already started knocking on doors in Iowa and New Hampshire this week.

“Governor DeSantis has built the strongest and most sophisticated organization in the history of American politics, and the tremendous support we have seen over the past 24 hours will be critical as we begin work in early candidate states to share Governor DeSantis’ plans to Revitalize the American Spirit,” wrote DeSantis campaign manager Generra Peck. in a statement.

And the Trump-supporting super PAC said, “Make America Great Again Inc.” DeSantis “still hasn’t been able to raise enough money to offset his failed campaign launch.”

“His record of targeting the top benefits, wanting higher taxes, and defunding the border wall makes this campaign dead on arrival. No amount of money will change that,” Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the ACAC, wrote.

DeSantis’ fundraisers and donors gather this week at the Four Seasons resort in Miami, dubbed “Ron O’Rama,” with a Wednesday reception as the governor greeted Launch surrounded by technical difficulties On the Twitter audio platform with its owner Elon Musk.

Attendees said there was a sense of confusion throughout the 20-minute delay, but the mood changed once the second “Twitter Spaces” conversation began.

said Brandon Rosner, a Milwaukee cast member who endorsed Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

DeSantis’ campaign announced Wednesday that it raised $1 million in donations within the first hour of its launch.

As the donors gathered, two sources said, the campaign was hoping to collect pledges of between eight and ten million dollars within the first twenty-four hours after he announced his bid.

Thursday kicked off with a political briefing from top DeSantis campaign officials, laying out a path to victory for him in his first four presidential primary states, with a focus on Iowa and New Hampshire in particular, according to three people in the room. Power point.

The presentation emphasized how active DeSantis’ campaign was in the early states, from events, to fundraisers to door knocking, and included indoor polling on the preference ratings for DeSantis and Trump in the four early states, with Iowa and New Hampshire leading big.

Senior officials argue that the race for the GOP nomination is essentially a “two-man” race between DeSantis and Trump, and have downplayed national polls of the race Trump appears in, calling them “shallow.”

“When is the national election?” One speaker recalled saying it disparagingly to a senior staff member.

“The stadium is what he did in Florida and he wants to take it to the rest of the country,” said Chuck Volpe, a DeSantis fan from Penn State. View the resounding results of his re-election, even heartening Miami-Dade County, which forever voted in favor [a Democrat]Obviously, that’s part of their show. That he is electable and that former President Trump is not.”

CBS News has reached out to the DeSantis campaign to confirm details of the senior official’s official briefing.

The rally ended with an appearance by DeSantis and his wife Thursday night, as they thanked the gatherers and, according to one attendee, gave packages from California for being the state to raise the most money yet.

“It’s exciting,” said Florida business owner and first-time presidential hopeful Sandy Stillwell Youngquist, who raised about $8.2 million on the first day.

She added, “I voted for Trump, but he wasn’t able to keep his mouth shut when he needed to keep his mouth shut, which was very unfortunate.” “I just think that when you elect this president, you should be able to see them do an eight-year term… What you really have to look at is on the road, what’s best for our nation.”

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