DeSantis flashes fundraising chops with $8.2 million haul over first 24 hours of his White House bid

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pulled in $8.2 million over the first 24 hours of his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, flexing his national fundraising muscle.

The haul reinforces the belief that Mr. DeSantis starts out as former President Donald Trump’s most formidable rival in the contest, despite a glitch-filled campaign launch on Twitter.

“This historic fundraising haul shows that grassroots Republicans across the country are uniting behind Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback,” said Generra Peck, head of the DeSantis campaign. “Governor DeSantis has built the strongest, most sophisticated organization in the history of American politics, and the tremendous support we’ve experienced in the last 24 hours will be critical as we hit the ground running in the early nominating states to share Governor DeSantis’ plan to revitalize the American Spirit.”

The New York Times noted the sum is more than the $4 million Mr. Trump raised in the 24-hour period after he was indicted for trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star who says he had an extramarital affair with her.

Mr. DeSantis is scheduled to hit the campaign trail next week for the first time as an official candidate. The four-day swing includes stops in 12 cities and towns in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the three states that host the opening nomination contests.