FactChecking Ron DeSantis’ Presidential Announcement
FactcheckDec 26, 2022
The Facts
Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s team announced it had raised a record $8.2M within 24 hours after the governor officially launched his campaign for the Republican nomination on Wednesday via a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk.
The exact breakdown of how the funds were raised is unknown, but the $8.2M total includes online donations and contributions to a fundraiser held in Miami on Thursday. DeSantis’s 24-hour haul surpasses Pres. Biden’s first-day fundraising of $6.3M for his 2020 campaign.
The Spin
Narrative A
DeSantis is a very serious contender for both the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and the office at large, and he only confirmed this fact with his historic fundraising effort. Just like he has done in Florida, DeSantis is bringing voters from many different backgrounds together, and he's getting immense support from donors big and small. Money is a key factor in many political races, but it certainly won’t be an issue for DeSantis who continues to be immensely popular in the GOP ecosystem.
Narrative B
It's very suspicious that the day DeSantis announces record-breaking campaign fundraising, NBC News reports that his administration officials are soliciting money from Florida’s wealthiest lobbyists. $8.2M in 24 hours doesn’t come from the average Joe chipping in a few bucks, and DeSantis is clearly very friendly with some of the nation’s most wealthy donors. If DeSantis did indeed mix his gubernatorial administration with his presidential campaign, this could be a massive sign of corruption.
