DeSantis collects $1M in first hour of presidential bid.

Exciting news for supporters of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis! Within one hour of announcing his presidential candidacy, DeSantis raised an impressive $1 million, according to his campaign.

DeSantis made the announcement during a Twitter Spaces interview with Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform. However, the interview was plagued by technical difficulties as Twitter’s web servers repeatedly crashed due to the sheer number of people trying to tune in.

There was so much enthusiasm for Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback that he literally busted up the internet. Washington is next.

$1 million raised online in one hour… and counting!

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) May 24, 2023

Despite the technical issues, DeSantis’ campaign manager Generra Peck revealed on Twitter that the interview had nearly 1 million people trying to get into the Spaces room. She urged supporters to donate and “help us break WinRed too.”

Speculation and Competition

Hours before the announcement, DeSantis filed the formal notification of his campaign with the Federal Election Commission. This follows months of speculation over whether he would enter the race and challenge former President Donald Trump, his ally-turned-rival, for the Republican nomination.

According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Trump holds a significant lead in the Republican primary field, carrying 56 percent of the vote—a 37-point advantage over DeSantis, who has consistently polled in second place. The Florida governor will look to reverse a downward trend in support he has seen since late March.