DeSantis Literally Cashes in Big on GOP Debate Performance, Doubles Runner-Up's Haul
If there is one thing literally every single political campaign in U.S. history has in common, it’s how they’re always an absolute drain of money and resources.
That’s aggressively true for anyone seeking public office, but significantly more relevant for anyone looking to unseat a heavy favorite during early primary season.
Case in point: If any Republican presidential candidate wants any shot at unseating former President Donald Trump as the de facto leader of the party, it will require plenty of money, time and effort.
Time and effort are two things most candidates have some semblance of control over, but not so much money.
And the money issue appears to be the main topic of analysis following a wildly polarizing Fox News-led Republican primary debate that aired on Wednesday night.
Because while debates over who “won” the debate are purely subjective and open for interpretation, raw fundraising totals are not — and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis absolutely walked away from the Wednesday night debates as the winner if you’re going by these metrics.
DeSantis’ campaign has come out and touted that it has raised over $1 million since the GOP debates, per ABC News, and that’s a key figure for the Republican who seems best equipped to supplant Trump.
“People were very happy and excited by his showing,” Hal Lambert, a GOP megadonor, told the outlet about DeSantis.
“Ron DeSantis showed last night that he is a proven leader who will deliver results as president, and we are thrilled with the flood of support we have received since his debate victory,” DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier told ABC News via statement.
According to RealClearPolitics, DeSantis is still comfortably polling in second place (just behind Trump) but still trails the former president by nearly 41 points. In other words, Trump still has a commanding lead in the polls despite no-showing the debates.
(Trump instead opted to have Tucker Carlson release an exclusive X interview with him the same time the debates were going on.)
Despite the uphill climb and battle for mindshares, Uthmeier remains optimistic.
He added: “We look forward to building on this momentum in the weeks and months ahead as the Governor continues to outwork everyone in this race as he lays out his vision to reverse our nation’s decline and revive the American Dream.”
DeSantis’ press secretary took to X to tout his team’s success and offer up another Uthmeier quote.
UPDATE: We raised more than $1 million in the 24 hours following the debate.
“We are thrilled with the flood of support we have received since his debate victory!” –@JamesUthmeierFL https://t.co/OR3PAWQiNa
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) August 25, 2023
“UPDATE: We raised mroe than $1 million in the 24 hours following the debate,” Griffin tweeted.
Of course, DeSantis was hardly the only one to come out on top, fiscally speaking, after the debates.
Perhaps no candidate added more notoriety to his name and candidacy from that debate than tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Whether the 38-year-old political neophyte was being blasted as annoying or lauded as a visionary (and there was plenty of both on social media), Ramaswamy still made out quite well.
Ramaswamy and his team reportedly raised $450,000 since his debate night performance, an impressive figure given that he’s the biggest unknown in this GOP primary season.
The next Republican primary debate will take place on Sept. 27, in Simi Valley, California.
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