The first Republican Presidential debate was a big moment for Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis needed a strong performance to jumpstart his flailing campaign.
And Ron DeSantis just saw one set of post-debate numbers that indicate a shift in momentum toward his campaign.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his Presidential campaign on May 24 in a Twitter Space hosted by Elon Musk.
Despite technical issues and glitches during the launch, DeSantis catapulted out the gate with a strong start, raking in $8.2 million within the first 24 hours of his announcement.
DeSantis’ $8.2 million was more than Biden raised in the same period in 2019.
But DeSantis quickly learned that momentum truly is a cruel mistress and can turn on a dime.
After Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg handed down the first indictment, Trump skyrocketed in the polls and stomped out any momentum his opponents had working in their favor.
Trump only expanded his lead over the field with each indictment handed down by Democrat prosecutors.
At the same time, DeSantis’ campaign was forced to lay off dozens of staff members due to a drop-off in fundraising.
DeSantis also hired a new campaign manager and directed all of his resources into the early Primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.
But Wednesday’s debate offered DeSantis a chance to introduce himself to voters and make the case for why he deserves to be the GOP nominee.
With Trump skipping the debate, DeSantis was the highest-polling candidate to participate and stood front and center on stage in Milwaukee.
DeSantis turned in a stellar performance during the two-hour GOP debate that was free of mistakes or bad moments.
The Florida Governor apparently struck a chord with Republican voters, as his campaign has raked in more than $1 million since the debate.
“People were very happy and excited by his showing,” GOP mega donor and CEO of investment-management firm Point Bridge Capital Hal Lambert told ABC News. “He got his name out there, he got his message out there and so many people haven’t seen it,” he continued, before adding that “the more we do these, people are going to realize he’s the only one on that stage that has a chance of beating Trump and is the only one that has a chance to become President.”
A DeSantis campaign adviser echoed Lambert’s sentiment.
“Today was a great call day for the campaign,” a DeSantis adviser told ABC News. “There’s a lot of renewed excitement around his performance last night that translated into a good fundraising day.”
Post-debate polls also indicate a momentum boost for DeSantis.
A new FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post/Ipsos poll of likely Republican primary voters showed 29% believe DeSantis turned in the best performance, with Vivek Ramaswamy taking second at 26%.
“Ron DeSantis showed last night that he is a proven leader who will deliver results as President, and we are thrilled with the flood of support we have received since his debate victory,” DeSantis gubernatorial chief of staff James Uthmeier said in a statement. “We look forward to building on this momentum in the weeks and months ahead as the Governor continues to outwork everyone in this race as he lays out his vision to reverse our nation’s decline and revive the American Dream.”
DeSantis needed a post-debate momentum boost to keep his White House bid alive.
And fundraising and poll numbers indicate the Governor turned in the type of homerun performance on Wednesday that he needed.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
