Ron DeSantis has raised $8.2 million in funding in the first 24 hours since he launched his presidential campaign in a glitchy Twitter Spaces livestream with Elon Musk.
The campaign of the Florida Governor disclosed the fundraising sum, touting his lead over Republican rival, former President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Ron DeSantis Presidential Campaign Raised Over $8 Million
TOPSHOT - Republican gubernatorial candidate for Florida Ron DeSantis speaks during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022.
According to Axios, despite technical difficulties that plagued the event, DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign hauled more than $8 million in the first 24 hours after its launch on Twitter.
With that in mind, the Florida Governor, backed with millions of dollars of funding as early as now cements his footing in the Republican presidential race, where he is in a heated head-to-head battle against ex-president Trump.
The campaign announced the fundraising total on Thursday, a day after DeSantis made his long-awaited presidential bid official in a viral live stream, co-hosted by ultra-billionaire Musk.
DeSantis is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. He has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden. He also repeatedly clashed with the current administration over various issues, such as immigration and vaccine mandates.
A DeSantis spokesperson, Bryan Griffin, says the recent $8 million haul does not include the funds of pro-DeSantis groups in the recent months, including Never Back Down and super PAC. He says their funds have been deposited to a Draft DeSantis account, but Griffin failed to disclose the money inside.
According to the New York Times, the fund raised by DeSantis's campaign is twice as much as the 24-hour haul of Trump in the first 24 hours after his criminal indictment. On the hand, the $8 million funding was significantly higher than Biden's first 24 hours of funding last 2019, which raised roughly $6.3 million. In other words, the Florida Governor raked up more money than recent presidential candidates in that short time.
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DeSantis Twitter 2024 Presidential Campaign Launch
NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND - APRIL 21: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets attendees after his remarks at the Heritage Foundation's 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on April 21, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.
As per NBC News, the DeSantis campaign launch had a rocky start as Twitter live, joined by its owner Musk and David Sacks, a fanboy of the Florida governor, persistently crashed in the first 20 minutes. Besides the server meltdown, the live stream grappled with janky audio.
The MAGA leader, Trump, which DeSantis previously supported, mocked the launch, calling it a mere "disaster."
But despite the technical difficulties, DeSantis' campaign raised a staggering amount of money in the first 24 hours. The $8 million haul is a sign of the strong support that DeSantis enjoys among Republican voters.
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