Republican money and polls shift to Ron DeSantis

Fundraising by Florida governor Ron DeSantis has outstripped that of the former president for the first six months of the year.

A poll last week found that almost half of Republicans want a candidate other than Trump to lead the party into the next election. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump’s election fundraising slowed sharply in the first half of the year, falling behind that of Ron DeSantis, the Florida Governor who is expected to be his rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Eyeing an attempt to retake the White House in a possible rematch with Joe Biden, the former president’s fundraising has fallen below $US50m in a six-month period for the first time since he left office 18 months ago.

Mr Trump’s fundraising committee brought in $US36m in the first half of this year, according to an analysis by The Washington Post of data from WinRed, the portal that takes Republican donations.

Although Mr Trump’s name and influence still dominate the Republican Party, the dip in income comes as more credence is given to other candidates, notably Mr DeSantis. The Florida Governor is the former president’s main rival for the nomination, narrowing Mr Trump’s lead in polls and outstripping him to raise $US45m in the first half of the year.

Mr Trump has already amassed a colossal war chest for 2024, raising $US120m in donations last year, but his fundraising machine has faltered. His committee brought in $US17m between April and June, down by $US2m on the previous quarter.

After a surge in donations last year, fuelled by his “stolen election” claims over the 2020 defeat to Mr Biden, Mr Trump’s donations have fallen in seven of the past nine months.

That dip reflects signs that many Republicans are weary of the chaos that surrounds the former president and his refusal to accept his 2020 defeat. A poll by The New York Times/Siena College last week found almost half of Republicans want a new candidate to lead the party into the next election.

The revelations by the congressional committee investigating the riot at the Capitol on January 6 last year have in recent weeks raised the possibility of a criminal indictment of the former president and further damaged his standing among voters outside his hardcore base. About one in five polled said Mr Trump “went so far that he threatened American democracy”.

The poll also found Mr Trump trailing Mr Biden in a rematch of their 2020 race. Despite plummeting support for the President, with his approval rating at a low of 33 per cent, he still leads Mr Trump by 44 per cent to 41 per cent.

Mr DeSantis cut Mr Trump’s lead for the Republican nomination to nine percentage points, a poll result that cut the former president’s lead to single digits for the first time. Republican donors have increasingly thrown their weight behind Mr DeSantis.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich dismissed suggestions the former president’s grip on the Republican Party is weakening. “He is not only raising money at an unparalleled pace, but he is investing in America First candidates and continuing to grow that MAGA movement into 2022 and beyond,” Mr Budowich said, adding “any suggestion otherwise is just a tired case of bias narrative peddling by the Fake News”.

Mr Trump has publicly dismissed the threat from Mr DeSantis but is said to be alarmed by the challenge. He is expected to confirm soon that he will run again in 2024 in an effort to outflank Mr DeSantis, who must first win re-election as Governor at November’s midterm elections.

The Times