As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has emerged as the most targeted candidate, despite former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden headlining the election.
This comes as a surprise, given Trump's significant lead over DeSantis in the polls.
According to the Washington Examiner, DeSantis has been the subject of $20.2 million in negative independent expenditures, accounting for a quarter of all such expenditures in the current election cycle. This is a stark contrast to the $8.1 million directed towards Trump and the $9.2 million used against Biden.
Interestingly, the majority of the negative independent expenditures against DeSantis have been funded by the Trump-supporting super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., which has spent a mere $3.2 million on attack ads against Biden. Other groups have contributed a paltry $45,712 towards the negative campaign against DeSantis.
In addition to being the primary target of negative campaigns, DeSantis has also received a substantial amount of support. Positive independent expenditures in his favor total $11.2 million, dwarfing Biden's $1,731,588 and Trump's $850,195.
Republican consultant Rob Pyers compiled data revealing that Nikki Haley was the recipient of $43,987 in negative independent expenditures. Meanwhile, potential presidential candidates such as Senator Tim Scott, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Asa Hutchinson have not been targeted by any negative independent expenditures.
Republican strategist Ron Bonjean shared with the Washington Examiner that "DeSantis would be the front-runner if Trump wasnt in the presidential race. Thats why outside groups are spending so much money in a rush to define him early, in case he ends up being the Republican nominee."
Jess Szymanski, spokesperson for the DeSantis-supporting PAC Never Back Down, attributed the millions spent against DeSantis to the belief that "he is the only candidate who can beat both Trump and Joe Biden."
Meanwhile, Trump's campaign has been grappling with legal fees, forcing a diversion of campaign funds. The Washington Post reported last month that Trump's political action committee spent approximately $40 million in the first half of 2023 on legal fees defending Trump, his advisers, and others.
Despite the attacks on DeSantis, a RealClearPolitics average of polls indicates that Trump maintains a nearly 40-point lead over him. The same polls show Biden holding a slight advantage over Trump of less than half a point in a head-to-head battle, while Biden has a 2.4-point lead over DeSantis.
Should Biden be re-elected, he would be 82 years old on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025. Trump, on the other hand, would be 78, and DeSantis would be 46.
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