Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hauled $8.2 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after he announced his candidacy for the presidential elections, confirmed his campaign to Fox News on Thursday.
The Republican’s blockbuster fundraising is a move by his election campaign to showcase the strength and enthusiasm that people have for DeSantis as he steps into GOP 2024 nomination race where United States former president Donald Trump has been the clear front-runner, as per the latest polling.
The money raised by the Republican has topped the previous record of $6.3 million which was hauled by President Joe Biden when he was a White House candidate in the first 24 hours after the launch of his campaign in 2019.
The fundraising by DeSantis includes online contributions along with funds brought in by bundlers who had gathered at a DeSantis donor summit held in Miami, Florida on Thursday.
ALSO READ | ‘#DeSaster’: Internet trolls DeSantis after glitchy campaign launch on Twitter Spaces
Republicans uniting for DeSantis
“This historic fundraising haul shows that grassroots Republicans across the country are uniting behind Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback,” said campaign manager Generra Peck, in a statement.
Speaking to Fox News, prominent Republican donor and bundler and oil drilling chief executive officer Dan Eberhart said, “That’s an enormous haul for the first 24 hours and shows that there are thousands of donors big and small behind the governor.”
Eberhart, who is extending his support to DeSantis, attended the Miami donor gathering.
Speaking about the donor gathering, Eberhart said, “I think there are a bunch of donors waiting to get off the sidelines, waiting for DeSantis to enter. I expect there to be a coalescing of conservative donors around Ron DeSantis.”
Eberhart contributed $100,000 to the Miami donor gathering.
WATCH | Twitter crashes as Ron DeSantis launches 2024 US Presidential bid
DeSantis’ presidential candidacy
On Wednesday, DeSantis announced his candidacy for president in a campaign launch video, which was followed by the glitched appearance of DeSantis on Twitter with Elon Musk, where the Republican launched his 2024 campaign.
The campaign of DeSantis soon termed the severe glitches as a “break the internet” moment because of intense interest during its launch.
However, Trump and his allies called the episode an embarrassing flop. The former president also shared a video on his Truth Social outlet, in which a rocket was seen crashing and exploding with the caption “Ron! 2024.”
In a statement, Trump’s spokesperson said that “Ron DeSantis can’t run away from his disastrous, embarrassing, and low-energy campaign announcement.”
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
