A leader political action committee for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) reportedly hauled over $30 million between March 9 and Sunday.
Never Back Down, a super PAC that has positioned itself as an arsenal for a hypothetical DeSantis campaign, has raised money online and amassed over half of the earnings from people who live outside the Sunshine State, a source told the New York Times. None of those funds derived from transfers from other PACs, according to the source.
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DeSantis has proven to be something of a financial juggernaut among GOP donors. His state political committee amassed over $82 million last month, per the report. He is widely expected to have a sizable war chest at his disposal should he run for president.
By contrast, the financial pull of his top GOP foe, former President Donald Trump, appears to have softened a little since his entrance into the 2024 fray. However, recently, his campaign has been buoyed by the Manhattan indictment against him. One adviser claimed the campaign drew $7 million within three days of the indictment news.
Never Back Down was launched last month by Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the former Virginia attorney general, and seeks to be a springboard for DeSantis should he enter the 2024 GOP arena. Cuccinelli briefly served as acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration.
Since its formation, the super PAC has been recruiting top GOP operatives, including veterans of prominent campaigns for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), Trump, and more. As a super PAC, Never Back Down can raise unlimited funds.
Groups such as Never Back Down are not formally affiliated with DeSantis.
Trump-aligned Make America Great Again PAC has not released its latest numbers. The super PAC recently began firing off attack ads against DeSantis, Trump's chief foe on the GOP side.
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A plethora of polling has pegged Trump as the front-runner, with DeSantis in a distant second, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. Preliminary polling following the indictment appears to show Trump strengthening his lead.
DeSantis is not expected to launch his campaign until after the Florida legislature wraps up its session in May. His itinerary is loaded with trips to Israel, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Utah, and Texas over the coming weeks.