Former president Donald Trump’s campaign outraised Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s camp by over $30 million in the third fiscal quarter as the two vie for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Trump brought in $45.5 million in the last three months with $37.5 million in available cash, the Trump campaign announced Wednesday. In comparison, DeSantis received $15 million in fundraising money during the same period with only $5 million in ready-to-use cash.
The fundraising numbers were released as the DeSantis team relocated a third of its staff from Tallahassee, Fla., to Des Moines, Iowa, three months ahead of the latter state’s GOP presidential caucus. DeSantis hopes to win Iowa as he goes head-to-head with Trump in the nomination contest. Iowa, the first state to kick off the 2024 primaries, will hold its Republican caucus on January 15, 2024.
“While DeSanctus’ fundraising, like his poll numbers, has seen an exponential drop even from July, President Trump outraised his impressive $35 million haul in Q2 (which doubled Q1 fundraising) by more than $10 million,” the Trump campaign said in a press release.
Nearly $36 million of Trump’s total cash-on-hand is set aside for the GOP primary, the press release noted.
“The Q3 numbers are even more impressive considering the summer months are usually when most campaigns experience lagging fundraising support,” his team added. “President Trump and his campaign have completely shattered that notion.”
The Florida governor continues struggling to gain traction in the race, even as Trump is occupied with four indictments and a New York civil-fraud case. DeSantis currently trails Trump by 30-40 points in national and state polls. In a New Hampshire poll released Wednesday, DeSantis trailed Trump by 39 points while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was behind by 30 points.
Last month, it was revealed less than half of the top 50 donors for DeSantis’s 2022 gubernatorial reelection had contributed to hiss presidential campaign or super PAC as of the end of June. Additionally, five of the 50 donors who supported DeSantis in the past defected to other candidates, a list that included former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner, who now supports Haley.
“I think he’s done a terrific job as governor of Florida, and I’ve been, as I think you know, a big supporter of him in that role,” Rauner said of DeSantis. “I think Nikki Haley probably has the best chance to win the general election … I think everyone is trying to sort things out. We gotta win, we gotta win the general.”
Despite these setbacks, the DeSantis camp remains optimistic. “Anyone that knows Ron DeSantis knows that he is a fighter, a winner, and a leader,” campaign manager James Uthmeier said of DeSantis’s quarterly update released Wednesday.
“This significant fundraising haul not only provides us with the resources we need in the fight for Iowa and beyond, but it also shuts down the doubters who counted out Ron DeSantis for far too long. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate with the vision to reverse America’s decline and the track record to prove he will get the job done,” Uthmeier added.
“Thanks to the generous support of Americans looking for a leader who will deliver results, this campaign is built to last and win. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate in this race who can beat both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, revive our economy, secure the border, make America energy dominant, and end the weaponization of government once and for all.”