As was the case in March, the total was the best month for the committee since October of that year, when it raised $17 million.
The stunning haul was highlighted by two major donations dated April 30 that totaled more than half the sum, nearly $8 million.
Chicago hedge funder Kenneth Griffin paced all donors with a $5 million donation, continuing a tradition of robust support for the DeSantis political machine.
As the Law and Crime website noted earlier this year, Griffin was the leading backer of DeSantis’ political committee in 2018, and the 2022 donation continues the trend.
The Republican Governors’ Association likewise offered robust support, with a $2.8 million donation to the political committee.
The Governor is in uncharted waters with this kind of fundraising month. Orlando Sentinel writer Gray Rohrer noted the single month eclipsed six months for former Gov. Rick Scott’s political committee at a comparable point eight years ago, as Scott’s own reelection bid moved forward.
The Governor has yet to open a campaign account for his reelection, but that’s an administrative formality.
The strong showing follows a hot March, where the political committee raised $5.1 million, giving it roughly $17 million cash on hand at that point. Cash on hand now is approaching $31.7 million, a war chest that will be augmented by an unprecedented level of earned media at the same time. DeSantis is widely discussed as a potential 2024 Presidential hopeful.
DeSantis’ political committee far outperformed that of a fellow member of the Florida Cabinet who is exploring her own bid for Governor.
Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s Florida Consumers First raised just over $361,000 in April. Her committee has just over $1.5 million on hand.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in May 13-19, 2021.