Never Back Down PAC spent $34 million for DeSantis with little to show for it

The federal super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign spent $34 million through June 30 and has $97 million still available to try and revive the candidate's flagging fortunes.

The PAC filed its first detailed financial statement with the Federal Election Commission Monday. It shows that 26% of the nearly $131 million raised – most of which was transferred from a state political committee supporting DeSantis' 2022 campaign for governor – has been spent with little to show for it.

Despite the PAC's considerable spending, just 17% of GOP primary voters back DeSantis compared to 54% who support Trump, according to a New York Times/Siena College survey released Monday.

The PAC still has plenty of money to help DeSantis regroup after a difficult stretch, and he is increasingly reliant on that outside spending after firing staff and paring down his campaign to conserve resources.

Trump's Save America PAC, and the pro-Trump Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC, also reported their finances Monday.

Save America has less than $4 million in cash after spending tens of millions on the legal bills of Trump and others. Save America is requesting a $60 million refund of funds the PAC previously sent to Make America Great Again Inc., which has $31 million in cash on hand.

Never Back Down has spearheaded DeSantis' organizing efforts on the ground in early voting states, employing 240 canvassers to knock on doors. The PAC projects to spend $100 million on the field effort and eventually train 2,600 canvassers.

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The PAC received $20 million from Robert Bigelow, who made a fortune from the Budget Suites of America extended-stay rental chain and now runs Bigelow Aerospace.

Bigelow also gave $10 million to DeSantis’ state political committee, which transferred $82.5 million to the federal PAC.

Another $2 million flowed into Never Back Down from Stefan Brodie, along with $1 million from Elizabeth Uihlein, $1 million from Richard Uihlein, $1 million from David Millstone, $1 million from Saul Fox and $2 million from Douglas Leone.

The Uihleins own a shipping supplies company and are GOP megadonors. Leone is a venture capitalist with a net worth of $6.8 billion according to Forbes. Millstone is CEO of Standard Industries. Brodie founded a biotechnology firm.

Never Back Down received $1 million combined from four companies run by Mori Hosseini, a Volusia County homebuilder who serves as chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees.

Hosseini donated an expensive golf simulator to the Governor's Mansion in 2019 shortly after DeSantis moved in, has let DeSantis and his wife use his private jet at least a dozen times and hosted DeSantis at Augusta National Golf Club in 2018.

DeSantis' administration recently allocated $92 million in COVID relief money to speed up construction of an interstate exchange near one of Hosseini's developments.

The PAC also received $5.5 million from Faithful & Strong Policies Inc, an organization based in Miami.

The Washington Post reported that Never Back Down has a staff of 121 in addition to the canvassers, who work as contractors out of 11 offices, and that 85% of its funds have been spent on "direct voter contact," which includes everything from television ads to the canvassing effort.

Nearly all of the PAC's support came from large donors. It received 192 contributions through June 30, and 177 were for $10,000 or greater, with eight of the donors cutting seven-figure checks.

Among the largest expenses are millions paid to various companies for advertising, canvassing, polling and fundraising.

Colorado-based Blitz Canvassing has received $2.8 million to run a door-knocking effort supporting DeSantis, while nearly $1.5 million has been spent on "survey research," or polling, mostly to WPA Intelligence.

The PAC spent $10.6 million on expenses labeled media, media consulting or media production, including three payments to Kansas City-based AxMedia totaling $10 million.

Never Back Down also paid Advanced Aviation Team – which is described on its website as "presidential-level service in private aviation" – $62,135 for travel costs and it paid Premiere Transportation, a company that offers "luxury coach" rentals, $215,400. Among the smaller expenses: $84 for a Twitter subscription.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: DeSantis badly trails in polls despite $34 million in PAC spending