Fried raised about $6.4 million, while U.S. With their campaign contributions combined, the three prominent Democrats running for governor raised about $16 million by the end of March - less than a fifth of DeSantis’ total. Five days later, when his campaign sent a second Disney-bashing donation request, people opened their wallets more than 500 times to give in small increments, adding up to another roughly $18,000.Ĭampaign finance records show many of these donors live outside Florida, with addresses from all corners of the country, including Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington, California, Texas, New York, Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina and more. On one day alone last month, when his campaign sent out its first fundraising email chastising Disney, his candidate account received nearly 950 small donations of $100 or less, totaling around $30,000.
The amount raised is a record for Florida politics, particularly for a candidate like DeSantis, who is not personally wealthy and able to self-fund.ĭeSantis’ fight with Disney has drawn national attention in part because it’s unusual for Florida politicians to defy a company that’s long enjoyed VIP treatment from lawmakers as one of the state’s largest employers and a generous campaign donor.īefore it announced it would freeze its Florida political contributions because of its opposition to the Parental Rights in Education law, or what detractors have called the “don’t say gay” bill, Disney wrote DeSantis a $50,000 check last year for his reelection.īut for DeSantis, going against Disney has paid off.