The blockbuster fundraising haul by DeSantis is a move by his campaign to exhibit strength, and to showcase energy and enthusiasm for the Florida governor as he enters a GOP 2024 nomination race where former President Donald Trump is the clear front-runner in the latest polling.
The money raised by DeSantis tops the previous record - the $6.3 million that President Biden hauled in as a White House candidate during the first 24 hours after his campaign launch in 2019.