🔥 BREAKING: @RonDeSantis posted the best first fundraising quarter of any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade, raising $20 million in just six weeks.

This surpasses the amount former president Trump’s campaign raised during his first two fundraising…

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) July 6, 2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $20 million in the second fundraising quarter of 2023, according to a press release.

DeSantis’ campaign fundraising since his late May announcement is the highest first quarter totals of any non-incumbent president in over a decade, according to the press release. The Florida governor’s announcement comes after former President Donald Trump’s campaign Wednesday released its second quarter fundraising totals, to the tune of $35 million.

[A couple of thoughts. One, both men should be congratulated for impressive fundraising. Two, the money in Trump’s case will be partly going to the massive legal costs he’s incurring, so expect less real impact on the race — although he continues to lead in polling by a wide margin at the national level. Three, this shows that the handwringing over DeSantis’ campaign is overwrought. To underscore that further, it appears that the DeSantis PAC Never Back Down raised $67 million in the same period, plus the $83 million DeSantis transferred to NBD from his gubernatorial campaign account.

BREAKING: DeSantis for President and Never Back Down raised a combined $150 million from all 50 states.

The future of the Republican Party is Governor Ron DeSantis! https://t.co/mh8rgSm8fY

— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) July 6, 2023

DeSantis and his team undoubtedly wish that he was showing more impact in the polls, but he’s still dominating the Not-Trump lane in the GOP, both in polling and in fundraising. — Ed]