DeSantis Outraises Crist 2-to-1 in First Half of October, Polls Find Double-Digit Lead

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – According to some of the final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterm election taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is outraising his Democrat opponent, Charlie Crist, two-to-one.

Numbers from the Florida Department of State show DeSantis raising nearly $4.8 million from Oct. 1-14. On the other hand, Crist raised around $2.4 million, half of what DeSantis raised.

As it stands, DeSantis’ war chest has decreased amidst bolstering his spending throughout the campaign. His war chest eclipsed more than $130 million at one point, now down to $97.7 million.

For the campaign, Crist has spent most of what he raised. His war chest sits at $2.2 million, a small fraction of DeSantis’.

Fundraising from August to September paint a similar picture, but Crist trailed behind DeSantis more closely, raising $6.7 million to DeSantis’ $9.7 million.

The picture for the Crist looks no better amidst polls from the last month. According to the RealClearPolitics average, DeSantis is leading Crist by an average of 11 points. The only poll to not give DeSantis a double-digit lead was a Spectrum News/Siena poll from Sep. 18-25, which gave him an 8-point lead:

The two candidates battled it out on the debate stage on Monday, Oct. 24.

One clip went viral of Crist asking DeSantis if he will promise to serve a full four-year term as governor, meaning he cannot run for president in 2024. After waiting for his time, DeSantis responded: “I know that Charlie’s interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear: the only worn out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”

Early voting in Florida also began on Oct. 24. Read updated voting counts by party registration here.