DeSantis reports raising more than $1 million as Republicans hope for post-debate boosts

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he got a $1 million cash bump after Wednesday night’s presidential debate

Election 2024 Debate Fundraising (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he got a $1 million cash bump after Wednesday night's presidential debate.

That amount came in over the first 24 hours after DeSantis and seven other contenders met onstage in Milwaukee, according to his campaign.

In a statement to The Associated Press, campaign manager James Uthmeier said that DeSantis “showed Wednesday night that he is a proven leader who will deliver results as president, and we are thrilled with the flood of support we have received since his debate victory.”

DeSantis, who has been running second to the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, raised more than $20 million for the first six weeks of his campaign but also burned through nearly $8 million over the same period. With $12.2 million on hand at the end of June, his campaign let some staffers go in July to help reduce operating expenses.

After being briefed in Milwaukee by top DeSantis campaign staffers, several donors told AP they were pleased with the governor’s performance, as further evidenced by the fundraising.

“It’s showing with the contributions that are coming in,” Pete Snyder, an investor and DeSantis donor, said Thursday. “We had a huge day.”

Like many who participated in the debut debate, DeSantis returned to the campaign trail. After speaking at the Republican National Committee's summer meeting, the former collegiate baseball player headed to Iowa and the “Field of Dreams” movie site on Thursday, with events in South Carolina planned for Monday.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — whose campaign told The Associated Press he had taken in $450,000 since the debate, with an average donation of $38 — was also expected to stump in Iowa over the weekend.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — who made a direct fundraising appeal onstage in Milwaukee, asking viewers to go to his campaign website “for more information or to make a contribution" — headed to New Hampshire on Friday. He has a swing through South Carolina planned next week, as does former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP