DeSantis Hits His Stride, Balancing Appeal With Activists and Donor Class

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” legendary California politico boss Jesse Unruh was fond of saying. In politics, money is an essential tool for winning elections, but as we see every cycle, buying an election is very difficult. Without sufficient money, a good candidate, and a good district, most campaigns fail. However, there is no amount of money that will convince voters to vote for someone they do not want to support.

Politicians must spend enormous time raising funds to hire staff, buy advertising, and get out the vote. Candidates often spend hours on the phone raising money each day, time that could be better spent connecting directly with voters. Raising the necessary funds for a campaign is important, but is no substitute for authentic grassroots support. Many campaigns learn this lesson the hard way.

Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Hillary Clinton all had massive treasuries and, at the time, unprecedented SuperPACs. All still fell to Donald Trump, and Romney to Barack Obama, driven by a more effective appeal to actual voters.

When those running for office listen to the grassroots supporters and use the money raised to build a voter base, we get candidates that can electrify and motivate vast new arenas of support, like Trump.

Candidates must listen to and connect with all the voters, not just those who write checks with multiple zeroes. From our outside perspective, it seems Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is finding the right balance of grassroots appeal and fundraising support.

Recent reports disclose the governor has raised more than $111 million for his reelection campaign – an eye-popping sum, and more than any candidate has ever spent for a statewide campaign in Florida.

This means that while running for reelection, DeSantis can’t be building a nationwide effort to win a presidential nomination and prepare for the fight against an incumbent president.

Raising the money necessary to defeat Joe Biden while simultaneously building a massive base of grassroots support is essential. It will take more than money to win the White House – and while he has not even announced a candidacy yet, DeSantis is building the level of support necessary to carry Trump’s America First agenda forward.

At Ready for Ron, an independent PAC, we are building up this grassroots support to convince DeSantis to seek the White House. While plenty of political consultants are lining their pockets with substantial fundraising commissions or a piece of giant media buys, we play a different role. Every dollar we raise, from donors big and small, goes toward building the infrastructure of support necessary to draft DeSantis to run in 2024. As others demand outrageous commissions from fundraisers or media buyers, we are the stewards of building up grassroots support.

Of course, we welcome support from anyone who agrees with our mission. But the kind of donor interested in influence-peddling over the good of our nation should look elsewhere to buy that influence. Likewise, consultants looking to line their own pockets need not apply.

We are focusing more on what matters to ordinary Americans. Ron DeSantis is in touch, understands kitchen-table issues, and is gaining tremendous support for these reasons. 

President Trump’s policies benefitted everyone with a booming economy and record employment. Ron DeSantis is carrying this strategy forward in Florida and hopefully nationwide. 

With a commitment to defending the rights of parents, getting inflation and government spending under control, and solving the problems the radical left causes, DeSantis can unify the grassroots activists and his volunteers and donors. Undeterred by bullies and the woke mob alike, he is listening and putting people first every step of the way. No class warfare – only common ground.

Great leaders stand up for what is right, even when it may be unpopular amongst the chattering class, liberal media elites, and even some of the largest donors to our own party – no matter how much they may contribute to a campaign. We think Ron DeSantis is just such a leader.

Ed Rollins is chief political strategist at “Ready for Ron.”

This article originally appeared in RealClearPolitics. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

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