MIAMI.- As the contest for the Republican presidential nomination progresses, the candidate and governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, seems to be waging another battle: that of his financial support, which shows at least what could be considered a ‘decrease’ in the accounting of donations.
DeSantis’ biggest financial muscle is the “Never Back Down” super PAC, which launched months before the Republican hopeful officially announced his intention to become White House counselor. However, the ‘cash flow’ since then reveals a behavior that surely worries your Campaign.
Figures released by the Federal Election Commission released Monday show that “Never Back Down” has grossed nearly $130.6 million since its release in late February.
The report indicates that the vast majority of the collection occurred before DeSantis made his presidential campaign official on May 24, and that more than half of the funds come from “Friends of Ron DeSantis,” a political committee that supported the politician. in his election as governor of Florida in 2018.
“Friends of Ron DeSantis”, later called “Empower Parents PAC”, before its dissolution on May 30, transferred to “Never Back Down” the sum of 82.5 million dollars, according to official data.
Donation-raising for “Never Back Down,” however, got its start in February, with an estimated $1 million contribution coming from Stefan Brodie, co-founder of Pennsylvania resin-making company Purolite.
The largest donation received to date occurred on March 30, when Robert Bigelow, a Nevada hotel mogul, gave just over $20 million to the super PAC.
Investor Douglas Leone donated $2 million in mid-April, while Standard Industries CEO David Millstone made a $1 million contribution the same day.
The data shows that the super PAC raised about 29.5 million dollars before May 24. But excluding the transfer from the state committee, just under $20.1 million was donated to “Never Back Down” between the May 24 campaign launch and the end of June.
Companies linked to Mori Hosseini, a Jacksonville builder, donated $1 million on June 1, while later that month Faith & Strong Policies, an entity run by Miami Beach attorney Scott Wagner, gave 5 million dollars and 500,000 dollars days later.
As of the end of June, “Never Back Down” showed an average of $99 million on its statements, while DeSantis’ official campaign had around $13 million.
Super PACs are a type of independent committee that can receive unlimited donations and spend freely for or against candidates. The official campaign of a presidential candidate is the organization directly linked to the candidate and her political party.
In this case, the independent group that supports DeSantis is not raising money as quickly as it was when the candidate was still preparing his campaign.
