The Presidential Race

 

 We are still in the early stages of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but new campaign finance reports are providing a glimpse of the wide chasm between current fundraising leaders and the rest of the GOP field. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $20 million — a strong total — but his campaign is burning through cash at a rapid rate. Former President Donald Trump, who leads the GOP field in polling, raised $17.7 million during the quarter, despite being indicted twice this year, while former Vice President Mike Pence brought in less than $1.2 million. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's campaign appears to be a bare-bones operation. Biden spent just $1.1 million in the second quarter and employed four staffers by June's end, records show. By contrast, in the same window in 2011, President Barack Obama's campaign had spent more than $11 million on his reelection effort.