DeSantis Campaign Says It Raised $8.2 Million in First 24 Hours

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $8.2 million in his first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, his campaign said Thursday, a huge amount that reflects his position as the leading challenger to Donald J. Trump. Strengthens.

Mr. DeSantis’ campaign got off to a messy kickoff on Twitter on Wednesday evening, but that didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of donors. The campaign said Wednesday it had raised $1 million in an hour.

The $8.2 million figure is more than the $6.3 million raised by Joseph R. Biden Jr. in his first 24 hours as a candidate in 2019, or the $6.1 million raised by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke the same year. were

DeSantis’ money includes both online contributions and donations secured by bundlers who gathered Thursday at the Four Seasons’ grand ballroom in Miami, known as Ron-O-Rama, starting at 10:30 a.m. starts at 1:00 p.m. to raise funds. campaign

A donor who called into the room earlier disclosed that they had raised $8.2 million, and Brian Griffin, a spokesman for Mr. DeSantis, confirmed the figure. All funds are so-called hard dollars that the campaign can use.

It was not immediately clear how many donors contributed in the first 24 hours.

A super PAC supporting Mr. DeSantis is planning a $200 million budget but raising campaign funds is far more difficult because he faces strict donation limits.

The $8.2 million brought in by Mr. DeSantis is far more than Mr. Trump began fundraising in late 2024 in late 2022. Mr. Trump Raised about $9.5 million Six weeks after announcing his campaign in mid-November.