Gov. Ron DeSantis is rewriting the history books on fundraising for a state-level election.
The Florida Republican has amassed $177.4 million for his re-election campaign, a new record for a gubernatorial campaign, according to Open Secrets, the political finance watchdog group.
DeSantis’ total was as of Sept. 9, the group reported on Friday.
This means it didn’t include any bounce the governor may get from his shipping of 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard — an effort to make self-proclaimed sanctuary cities in blue states help shoulder the burden of caring for illegal immigrants streaming across the southern border under President Joe Biden’s open-borders policies.
DeSantis’ campaign bankroll crushes that of his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist of Clearwater.
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According to FollowTheMoney.org, Crist has raised just $17.2 million.
DeSantis had already set the record for fundraising for a candidate who did not put in any of his or her own money back in early August when he reported $165.6 million in contributions.
But with the latest report, DeSantis has become the most prolific fundraiser ever among gubernatorial candidates.
Before the most recent report, the only candidates who were ahead of him were current Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, who received $176.4 million in 2018, and Meg Whitman, a California Republican who lost in 2010, despite banking $178.6 million.
What sets DeSantis apart, however, is that his account contains none of his own money. Open Secrets reports that Pritzker spent $171.5 million of his own money four years ago, while Whitman passed her total with $144.2 million out of her own pocket.
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Whitman had been CEO of eBay, Hewlett Packard, and Quibi, a short-lived video-streaming service; Pritzker is the heir to the Hyatt hotel chain.
Comparatively, DeSantis reports a net worth of only $319,000.
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