DeSantis raised $8.2 million 24 hours after 2024 launch, campaign says

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis raised $8.2 million in the first 24 hours of his 2024 presidential campaign.

The staggering sum dwarfs the $6.3 million raised by Joe Biden in his first 24 hours as presidential candidate in 2019.

Donations started coming in despite audio and server issues during DeSantis presidential launch on Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk

The issues delayed DeSantis’ long-awaited announcement by about 30 minutes.

But after the hour-long conversation between DeSantis, Musk and entrepreneur David Sacks, the Florida governor urged his supporters to flood his campaign with contributions.

“I am running for President of the United States to lead our great American comeback. We announced this on Twitter Spaces earlier tonight and it broke the internet because so many people were excited to be on this Twitter Space. Now let’s see if we can crack WinRed,” DeSantis said in a video message, referring to the Republican Party fundraising platform.

Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for DeSantis’ presidential campaign, said Wednesday that $1 million was raised online within an hour of the announcement.

“There was so much excitement for Governor DeSantis’ vision for our great American comeback that it literally destroyed the internet. Washington is next,” Griffin wrote in a tweet.

DeSantis’ new $8.2 million bankroll includes both online contributions and guaranteed donations from Miami Four Seasons volunteers on Wednesday, who gathered in the hotel’s ballroom to spend calls asking for donations.

Trump-supporting super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. responded to reports about DeSantis’ first day with disdain.

“After a three-month ghost campaign, including a legislative session that clearly leveraged Florida taxpayer dollars to elevate his fundraising efforts, DeSantis was still unable to raise enough money. to compensate for the botched launch of his campaign. His record of targeting senior benefits, wanting to raise taxes and withholding funding for the border wall makes this campaign dead when he arrives. No amount of money will change that,” Alex Pfeiffer, spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc., wrote in a statement.