Ron DeSantis set to start using new fundraising vehicle as campaign faces staff cuts

Ron DeSantis’ campaign is rebooting a pair of fundraising vehicles that have sat dormant since he launched, as his operation faces a difficult early stretch.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is rebooting a pair of linked fundraising vehicles that have sat dormant since he launched his campaign, as his fledging operation faces a difficult early stretch.

One of the vehicles is a joint fundraising committee that was created around the campaign launch in late May but has been inactive so far, campaign finance records show. The other is a leadership PAC that is linked to the joint fundraising committee, as is DeSantis’ campaign committee — an increasingly common campaign finance setup.

There are strict rules detailing how campaigns have to pay for their own costs, but the joint fundraising committee-plus-PAC setup can split things like fundraising costs with the campaigns, and it's a vehicle for large-dollar donors to put more money behind campaign-adjacent efforts. The decision to start using the two committees comes as DeSantis is slashing campaign staff amid financial concerns and trying to regain momentum after what has been a brutal first two months on the campaign trail.

The two committees are called Great American Comeback (the leadership PAC) and Team DeSantis 2024 (the joint fundraising committee).

"The committees were always part of the plan,” said Slater Bayliss, a top bundler for the DeSantis campaign. “It is a powerful mechanism to ensure we get the governor and his message in front of voters.”