Florida, USA – Governor Ron DeSantis finds himself making difficult decisions as he trims his campaign staff due to financial strain, having spent nearly $8 million of his $20 million second-quarter fundraising haul within the initial weeks of the campaign.
On Saturday, DeSantis submitted his second-quarter fundraising report to the Federal Election Commission, covering the period from May 24 to June 30. The report reveals that he had $12.2 million in cash on hand at the end of June, with $3 million of that designated for the general election, leaving only $9.2 million available for the primary race, reports the USA Today.
Concerns over excessive spending prompted DeSantis’ campaign to terminate roughly a dozen staffers, with additional terminations expected as they seek to reduce costs. NBC News reported that the campaign had employed 92 individuals at some point during the second quarter, significantly surpassing the staff count of any other Republican presidential candidate.
Further analysis of DeSantis’ fundraising report reveals a heavy reliance on larger donors. The campaign disclosed that $2.9 million of the $20 million raised came from donors who contributed less than $200 to date, while the majority originated from donors who contributed $200 or more in total.
This contrasts with former President Donald Trump, who generated significant support from a multitude of small donors, a testament to grassroots enthusiasm for his campaign.
The disparity in fundraising methods is reflected in the current polls, as Trump holds a commanding lead over DeSantis by 32 percentage points in the Real Clear Politics average of national GOP presidential primary polls.
Although DeSantis previously announced raising $20 million in the second quarter on July 6, the recently filed FEC report provides a comprehensive breakdown of his donors. This marks the first fundraising report submitted by DeSantis’ campaign.
Within the report, $2.9 million is attributed to unitemized contributions from individual donors, while $16.9 million is itemized. Presidential campaigns are only required to itemize contributions of $200 or more, or when an individual’s cumulative contributions exceed $200.
Notably, DeSantis garners more donations from his home state of Florida than from any other state. Of the itemized contributions received, $6.8 million originated from Florida, followed by $2.1 million from California, $2 million from Texas, and $1.1 million from New York.
Desantis is bragging that he is now drawing 30-40 people to his campaign events. pic.twitter.com/XEVfYALAMm
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 16, 2023
The campaign’s expenditures include $867,583 on media placements and $730,497 on direct mail postage. Additionally, $200,000 was allocated for SMS text messaging, $28,166 for donor mementos, $21,670 for campaign apparel, and $280,000 for payments to the Four Seasons Miami, where DeSantis supporters gathered for fundraising activities after his campaign launch.
The DeSantis campaign has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the fundraising report.
During a speech in West Palm Beach on Saturday, Trump taunted DeSantis, urging him to withdraw from the race and allocate his campaign funds to aid the former president and the party’s 2024 electoral efforts.
Trump emphasized the need for DeSantis to fulfill his duties as governor and suggested that Republicans should utilize the funds to establish a state-of-the-art voter mobilization operation.
Meanwhile, the super PAC “Never Back Down,” which supports DeSantis’ campaign, has amassed an impressive $130 million in donations. However, detailed fundraising information from the PAC will not be disclosed until later this month. The majority of its funds were transferred from a state committee supporting DeSantis’ re-election campaign for governor.
