Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has drawn at least two unaffiliated super PACs supporting his White House candidacy even before announcing a bid but is keeping his distance from them as the very early portion of 2024 campaigning unfolds.
The super PAC Ready for Ron launched last May and says it will spend $3.3 million on the governor's White House bid, while Ron to the Rescue launched in November and will boost DeSantis at the New Hampshire Republican Party’s annual meeting this weekend.
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Both groups claim they simply aim to help DeSantis, who has grown to become either the first- or second-ranked GOP presidential candidate, depending on which poll you're reading. They also claim not to be rivals with each other.
Super PACs can raise unlimited funds and are also empowered to act in ways that political candidates can't, especially those who have yet to announce for office. They are also obliged to be independent of campaigns.
But the DeSantis camp has kept its distance from both groups, issuing cautionary statements about each.
An anonymous source told Fox News that Ready for Ron "doesn’t help Ron DeSantis. It’s a grift — plain and simple." Regarding Ron to the Rescue, DeSantis legal counsel Benjamin Gibson warned its organizers "have not been in contact with DeSantis leadership and such efforts may create confusion amongst supporters of the governor and his policies."
"Governor DeSantis and his team are not affiliated with the 'Ron to the Rescue' PAC, have not authorized it to conduct any activity on their behalf, and contributions made to the 'Ron to the Rescue' PAC will not benefit Governor DeSantis or his agenda," Gibson wrote in a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Both groups speak to the high level of interest in DeSantis as a presidential candidate in any case, with Ready for Ron evoking at least in name the Ready for Hillary PAC that operated before the former secretary of state became a candidate in April 2015.
DeSantis is rumored to be looking to announce a presidential bid this summer after the Florida legislative session ends.
Ron to the Rescue founder John Thomas says PACs "sometimes have more firepower" than campaigns but pledged to hand over all its infrastructure and assets to the DeSantis campaign if and when he does announce.
“At the end of the day, elections are about winning, and Republicans have been losing now essentially for three straight cycles,” said Thomas, who is also the founder and president of the political advertising and strategy group Thomas Partners Strategies. “DeSantis is the future of the party and someone who can win.”
Thomas stressed that his group is not anti-Donald Trump but believes the former president should become a party elder rather than a leader. He'll get a chance to test that out this weekend when his group will attend the same New Hampshire event Trump is speaking at and hand out DeSantis-themed merchandise.
“Our sole mission is to support Gov. DeSantis in becoming the next president of the United States,” said Thomas. “We’re not looking to confuse anybody, and I’d add that not a single supporter of Ron to the Rescue has expressed confusion.”
Leaders from both PACs said they don't know each other and that they aren't surprised at the DeSantis camp's statements since the governor is legally barred from associating with outside groups.
Ready for Ron describes itself as “the only credible organization working to draft and elect" DeSantis as a candidate, evoking the Draft Goldwater movement that saw Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) become the Republican nominee in 1964.
Despite the "only credible" tag, Ready for Ron counsel Dan Backer said he's taking the Ronald Reagan rule of not criticizing another Republican, in this case, another pro-DeSantis PAC.
"Since Ron DeSantis was busy running for reelection and now running Florida and the current legislative session, he isn’t able to spend time considering a presidential bid or doing anything to further one," Backer said. "But everyone else can, investing in staff, building infrastructure, and pushing their messaging nationally."
The group has a petition it says more than 125,000 people have signed to date. It also says it's spending $2.3 million in national television advertisements and about $1 million in independent spending on other promotions of DeSantis.
Backer also says some of DeSantis's increasing popularity is due to his group's work.
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Recent polls have consistently found DeSantis leading Trump in a head-to-head matchup but trailing the former president when the field expands. He'll have to keep building on that momentum for some time, as the first Republican primaries remain more than 12 months away.