The Ron DeSantis presidential campaign raised $8.4 million in the first 24 hours following his announcement on Wednesday. New reports also show that 9 million people tuned into his Twitter Spaces conversation with Elon Musk which ended up being the largest room ever held on social media. DeSantis’ $8.2 million figure is larger than the $6.3 million which Biden raised in 2019 during the first 24 hours of his campaign. More astoundingly, it tops the amount Donald Trump managed to raise during his first 5 weeks as a declared 2024 candidate.
According to the New York Times:
The sum is roughly double the $4 million that Mr. Trump’s campaign said it had raised in the 24 hours after his criminal indictment earlier this year, though most of that money was raised organically online.
The DeSantis sum includes both online contributions and donations secured by bundlers who had gathered on Thursday at the grand ballroom in the Four Seasons in Miami for what was called a Ron-O-Rama to make fund-raising calls for the campaign.
Bryan Griffin, a DeSantis spokesman, said the campaign was raising both primary and general election funds. The campaign can raise $3,300 per donor for both the primary and general election. He declined to say how money was earmarked for use only in the general election, should Mr. DeSantis become the nominee.
A donor making calls in the room first disclosed that the campaign had raised $8.2 million, and Mr. Griffin confirmed the figure. All the funds are so-called hard dollars that the campaign can use.
The DeSantis campaign is planning for a $200 million budget which they see as being enough to bring them the nomination.
