In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Florida Secretary of State, the governor received $109,869,159 in total contributions and spent $13,706,657 between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. DeSantis is running for re-election in 2022.
Gov. DeSantis is a member of the Republican Party and first assumed office in 2019.
Gov. DeSantis’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2018-2021)
Contributions to Gov. DeSantis
Of the $109.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 14.3 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Gov. DeSantis (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $6,600,000 | Republican Governors Association | Entity |
| 2. | $5,000,000 | Kenneth C. Griffin | Individual |
| 3. | $800,000 | David F MacNeil | Individual |
| 4. | $518,899 | Republican Party of Florida | Entity |
| 5. | $505,000 | Florida Prosperity Fund | Entity |
| 6. | $505,000 | Gale L. Lemerand | Individual |
| 7. | $500,000 | Spring Bay Capital | Entity |
| 8. | $500,000 | Walter W. Buckley Jr. | Individual |
| 9. | $400,000 | Voice of Florida Business | Entity |
| 10. | $350,000 | Bruce Rauner | Individual |
Expenditures by Gov. DeSantis
On the expenditures side, Gov. DeSantis reported over $3.3 million, with 76.7 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list.
Top Expenditures by Gov. DeSantis (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $695,421 | Ace Specialties LLC | Entity |
| 2. | $524,451 | Anedot Inc | Entity |
| 3. | $280,640 | Eleventh Street Strategies LLC | Entity |
| 4. | $225,117 | Ello Creative LLC | Entity |
| 5. | $206,006 | Salesforce.com Inc | Entity |
| 6. | $199,438 | Hmb Strategies LLC | Entity |
| 7. | $137,256 | Robert Watkins & Company | Entity |
| 8. | $108,000 | ZDB Inc | Entity |
| 9. | $88,223 | Winred Technical Services LLC | Entity |
| 10. | $77,081 | MBI Direct Mail | Entity |
How Gov. DeSantis’s fundraising compares to other governors
Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. Here is how fundraising by Gov. DeSantis compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Fundraising reported by 11 U.S. governors in the 2022 election cycle
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Florida PACs submitted to the Florida Secretary of State. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2021 | 1/15/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 | 4/15/2022 |
| 2022 Q2 | 7/15/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary | 7/23/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary and Q3 | 10/15/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/29/2022 |
| 2022 Post-General and Q4 | 1/17/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.