DeSantis campaign rakes in $20 million in second quarter of 2023

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis's presidential campaign brought in $20 million during the second quarter of 2023, marking the largest first-quarter filing by a non-incumbent Republican in over a decade.

The major fundraising haul still stands behind the $35 million that former President Donald Trump's campaign managed to raise in the same period, The Hill reported. However, news of the sizeable fundraising total is sure to embolden the Florida governor's supporters.

"We are grateful for the investment so many Americans have made to get this country back on track," said DeSantis campaign manager Generra Peck. "The fight to save it will be long and challenging, but we have built an operation to share the governor’s message and mobilize the millions of people who support it. We are ready to win."

DeSantis's presidential prospects soared after his landslide 2022 reelection in formerly purple Florida, though his political star appears to have faded somewhat since launching his campaign, as he has largely failed to gain ground over Trump in the primary contest, even as the former president battles multiple indictments.

Trump currently holds the support of 53.0% of primary voters in the RealClearPolitics polling average while DeSantis trails with 20.9%. The former president's standing in the party has largely been on the upswing since reports first emerged that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg could indictment him in connection to a 2016 payment made to Stormy Daniels. That indictment later materialized, as did a second set of charges from special counsel Jack Smith related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Nonetheless, Trump remains the first-place candidate, a status even close DeSantis allies have been forced to acknowledge. Never Back Down PAC spokesman Steve Cortes admitted earlier this week that "clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner" and that the campaign had work to do to gain ground against him.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.