Ron DeSantis raised $2 million last month in run for Florida governor

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis’ campaign and a closely aligned political committee raised more than $2 million in February, as the congressman tries to make up fundraising ground on GOP opponent Adam Putnam.

DeSantis raised $471,913 for his campaign account and had about $457,000 on hand as of Feb. 28, according to a newly filed finance report. Meanwhile, the political committee Friends of Ron DeSantis raised $1.616 million during the month and had nearly $4.8 million on hand. Contributions to the committee included $500,000 from Richard Uihlein, an Illinois businessman who is a major donor to Republicans and conservative causes across the country.

DeSantis formally entered the gubernatorial race in January. Putnam, meanwhile, raised $269,283 for his campaign account in February and had about $2.96 million in cash on hand.

Putnam’s political committee, known as Florida Grown, raised $636,550 and had $14.5 million on hand, the reports show. Putnam, the state agriculture commissioner, has been raising money for the committee since 2015 and formally entered the gubernatorial race in May.

State House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O’ Lakes Republican who is considering whether to run for governor, could not raise money in February because lawmakers are barred from collecting contributions during the legislative session. But Corcoran’s political committee, known as Watchdog PAC, spent $2.211 million during the month, with much of it going to advertising-related expenses.