Campaign reports indicate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis significantly outpaced his potential opponents with $7.5 million in May contributions. Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) raised $1.2 million and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried raised approximately $215,000.
DeSantis has been on a fundraising crusade in recent months, raking in nearly $14 million back in April. DeSantis is capitalizing on his administration’s move to ban Critical Race Theory and transgender females from competing in female sports, while also pushing back against “cultural Marxism” in May.
“Gov. DeSantis is doing what is right and has continued to prove that he won’t be cowed by corporate and media pressure,” said a DeSantis campaign email. “Yet again, Gov. DeSantis has established he will hold the line. He will NEVER allow woke corporations to dictate the policies in Florida — not now, not ever.”
In total, DeSantis’ political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, has almost $40 million dollars in its war chest. Meanwhile, Fried’s committee, Florida Consumers First, had approximately $1.65 million at the end of May.
Florida Consumers First raised $214,832 from primarily small-donor contributions. However, the May numbers do not reflect the candidate campaign fundraising effort since she formally announced her candidacy on June 1. Her first candidate report will be due in July.
The fundraising margin, some say, is indicative of Florida Democrats and their inability to consistently win statewide elections, with Fried being the only statewide elected Democrat, winning her 2018 election by only 6,000 votes. Florida Democrats are motivated to oust DeSantis, but critics say they will be hard pressed to upend two decades of Republican control with a wide network of fundraising capabilities.
DeSantis will be traveling to San Diego and Las Vegas on campaign stops after also stopping in Pennsylvania and Texas in previous months. Crist has criticized DeSantis for the move.
“Instead of going to San Diego and the Northeast, wherever he’s going for his presidential run or whatever he’s doing, I’m here in Leon County,” Crist said. “You know I was in Alachua County this morning. Later I’m going to be in Palm Beach County tomorrow morning. You go to the people, you travel the state.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Background Photo “Florida Capitol” by DXR. CC BY-SA 4.0.
