Drew Wilson
Through the first three weeks of June, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam raised nearly double the money of gubernatorial primary opponent U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis.
From June 1 through June 22, Putnam raked in almost $2.1 million — $1.8 million through his political committee, Florida Grown, and another $283,000 through his official campaign account.
DeSantis’ total came in at $1.12 million, including $821,000 in contributions to Friends of Ron DeSantis and another $298,000 in campaign dollars.
The new reports add to Putnam’s immense lead in the money race as the two Republicans barrel toward the Aug. 28 Republican primary that will decide which of them will be on the November ballot.
To date, Putnam has raised $32.7 million for his gubernatorial bid compared to about $12 million for DeSantis, whose total was buoyed last month by a $1.1 million transfer from his now-defunct congressional re-election fund.
The new campaign finance reports are the first since the qualifying period for state races ended. From now through Nov. 6, candidates are required to file a report every week.
The two Republicans squared off Thursday night in their first debate, which focused more on national issues than those affecting Florida.
Still, both candidates were able to tout their support among different factions of the Republican party. DeSantis has locked up the support of President Donald Trump, while Putnam met criticisms that he was “weak” on border and immigration issues by reminding his opponent of his substantial support among county sheriffs and police.
The race isn’t the only facet of the contest where Putnam has doubled DeSantis. Most recent polls show the second-term Agriculture Commissioner with two-to-one lead among Republican primary voters.
The winner of the GOP nom will go on to face one of the five Democratic candidates looking to take back the Governor’s Mansion after 20 years of Republican rule.
