In recent weeks, there have been several whispers and rumors out of the usual political circles that too many donors are nervous about Ron DeSantis, about whether or not he could pivot away from the “culture war” stuff, and whether or not he really is a viable alternative to former president Donald Trump. Whether or not these whispers are true or not remains to be seen, but one vocal supporter of DeSantis says it’s simply not true, and he’s got a Super PAC to prove it.
Ken Cuccinelli, a staunch conservative and former Virginia Attorney General who fell just short of winning the governor’s mansion in 2013, heads up the Never Back Down super PAC, which is backing DeSantis ahead of a potential 2024 bid. Cuccinelli is claiming that the PAC is currently sitting on $30 million, all of it raised for DeSantis.
Via the New York Times:
The sums raised for the super PAC, named Never Back Down, show the financial might that would back a DeSantis campaign, should he enter the presidential race, as expected, after the Florida legislative session ends in early May.
The fund-raising was described by an official with the group, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal operations. The official did not disclose any names of donors.
None of the money raised was transferred from another committee, the official said. Mr. DeSantis’s state political committee had more than $82 million as of last month, which could eventually be transferred to another entity supporting him.
Because Never Back Down is a federal super PAC, it can raise unlimited sums from donors. Over half the money was donated from people outside Florida, the official said.
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Contrary to speculation that donors are nervous, it appears that several do see DeSantis as a viable alternative to Trump, who is currently running for another chance to lead the country.
The former president, meanwhile, has not been able to muster up the same level of support among the donor class. As the Times article notes, the donor class was never really a fan of Trump, but he did enjoy their support when he was the last candidate standing and all through his presidency. However, it seems that they are looking for alternatives, and given that DeSantis is the only candidate anywhere close to Trump in the current polling, there appears to be a lot of favorable eyes on him.
Trump’s advantage in fundraising, however, does come from small-dollar donors, particularly in the wake of his impending indictments in New York related to an alleged “hush money” scandal from before his election in 2016. Trump has raised about $4 million in small donations since declaring in March he would soon be arrested.
But it does not look like money will be a problem for DeSantis, either. According to the Times article above, DeSantis is “expected to have tens of millions of dollars in commitments of support from donors, according to one Republican fund-raiser familiar with his operation.” Any path to the White House is going to require a lot of money, and a crowded Republican field will require candidates to spend a lot as they travel through several key states and hope to come out on top and win votes and delegates.
And all that is before the general election, where even more money is necessary. Any Republican challenging Joe Biden will need to spend a lot, as incumbency is generally one of the biggest challenges in an election. It looks like, if it is DeSantis, he’s on pace to not have too much to worry about on that front.
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