Super PAC Backing DeSantis Says It Has Raised $30 Million
New York TimesJUL 2023
Despite an incredible amount of financing, the reality is that DeSantis' super PAC-centered candidacy has produced no meaningful challenge for the Republican nomination. The recent departures of many Never Back Down top officials, the cancellation of TV advertising, and consistently poor polling means DeSantis' time in national politics may be coming to an embarrassingly quick end.
While large contributions may steal the headlines, it’s the avalanche of small donations that should be of greater focus. Candidates on both sides of the aisle are often guilty of focusing on the average citizen, with the aim of mobilizing a hoard of minor donations and primary support. To do so, they sell a dangerous brand of populism, whipping up an electoral frenzy with the aim of seeing the masses donate what little disposable income they have.