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Ron DeSantis dropped out of the Republican presidential race after just one game — but not before his campaign and supporters raised $160 million. Major expenses in one of the most expensive Republican campaigns in history included millions on everything from luxury travel to security, from political strategy to fundraising and communications.
The DeSantis campaign and supporting super PAC Never Back Down spent a combined more than $3 million on private flights alone. In total, roughly $28 million was spent directly by the DeSantis campaign, while another $130 million was spent by the Never Back Down super PAC, according to paperwork filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.
In January, DeSantis finished a distant second in the Iowa caucuses with just over 23,000 votes and 21 percent behind former President Trump, who received 51 percent and more than 56,000 votes. DeSantis spent about $35 million on ads in Iowa alone before his disappointing finish. Tracking by AdImpact estimated it cost Florida’s governor about $1,500 in ad spend per vote in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race just days before the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Trump, declaring he no longer had a “clear path to victory.” He had spent about $8 million on advertising in the Granite State before quitting. DeSantis isn’t the first Republican to head into a presidential primary with high expectations and major donors lining up to support him, only to end up spectacularly short in a primary campaign against Trump.
In 2016, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s campaign and supporting super PAC spent about $150 million before the man once seen as the future of the Republican Party dropped out of the race. However, Bush survived several contests when he withdrew after a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primaries. Before Senator Tim Scott’s campaign dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump in November, he spent more than $30 million on his presidential bid, and a supporting super PAC dropped by more than $21 million.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who loaned his campaign nearly $15 million during his barely six months in the race and spent nearly $17 million with a polling average of less than 1%. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy lent his failed presidential campaign more than $23.7 million, according to FEC filings. The campaign raised approximately $35 million.
The Republican primary, once a crowded field, now stands between Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley heading into the South Carolina primary on February 24. Haley’s campaign raised $17 million in the final quarter of 2023 and had more than $14 million on hand. available at the end of the year.
The external SFA fund supporting Haley’s campaign has raised more than $50 million in the second half of 2023. But it might not make any difference if Trump rockets toward the presidential nomination with victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.