Ron DeSantis returned to the campaign trail with 2 fundraisers in Pennsylvania this week

PHILADELPHIA — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised about $400,000 in a fundraising swing through Pennsylvania Tuesday, his campaign told The Inquirer.

The trip marked DeSantis’ return to the campaign trail after a week hiatus overseeing recovery efforts in Florida following Hurricane Idalia.

He met with donors at a luncheon in Harrisburg and an evening reception in Pittsburgh. Both events were closed to the press.

For DeSantis, who has remained a distant second to former President Donald Trump in most state and national Republican presidential primary polls, the Pennsylvania trip was a rare visit outside of the early voting states and comes as he looks to fund a recently rebooted campaign.

It’s not clear whether Pennsylvania — with a relatively late April 23 primary — will even play a role in the nomination process. Pennsylvania could move up its date but for now is somewhat removed from the action, and its voters are likely less familiar with the candidates than those in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the campaigns have been camped out for months.

But DeSantis supporters in the state were eager to see him.

“He’s taking Pennsylvania seriously, which is what we want to see,” said state Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland. Should Pennsylvania’s primary move up, DeSantis will benefit from early inroads here, Rothman added. And the state will be critical in the general election.

He’ll also benefit from the funds.

“Republican donors are investors. They don’t give because of their heart, they give because of their head,” Rothman said. “He’s built a campaign that can withstand a marathon. You run out of money before you run out of supporters.”

The fundraisers nearly double what DeSantis has thus far reported raising in big-dollar donations in the state. He received $520,000 in donations over $200 between launching his campaign May 24 and the end of June, the last time period for which reports are available. Trump had raised $830,000 in large-dollar Pennsylvania donations over the entire first half of the year. But the former president brings in a lot of his money in smaller donations, a network DeSantis has not tapped into as successfully.

Donations for the Pennsylvania events on Tuesday ranged from $500 for individuals to $11,600 to join the host committee.

Attendees said DeSantis talked about his roots in Western Pennsylvania. His father is from Aliquippa and his maternal grandfather was born in Edinburg.

“He has memories and friends here,” former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, one of the hosts, said. “He talked about his father being a blue collar worker in Aliquippa.”

DeSantis touted his experience as governor of Florida and the recent hurricane response. He was also upbeat about his first debate performance, cautioned supporters from reading into national polls, and pointed to early state polls in which he’s running slightly closer to Trump.

“He believes the field will dwindle,” Barletta said.

Guy Ciarrocchi, another one of the hosts of the events, said DeSantis’ pitch that he can do what he did in Florida on a national scale felt especially compelling.

“It’s the best state economy, with the best public schools, the most parental choice & parents’ rights, a low crime rate and — the GOP has grown, especially among Hispanics, Black and Indian-Americans,” Ciarrocchi said. “When he makes that case, it’s clear he’s the best choice to beat Biden and to govern successfully.”

DeSantis received largely positive coverage for his response to the storm. Some areas are still heavily damaged, and one Florida-based anti-DeSantis group slammed his return to the trail.

“As communities across the Big Bend continue to come together in mutual aid to recover from Hurricane Idalia, Ron DeSantis is wasting no time getting back to work for the only constituents he really cares about: the billionaires and corporate elites who fund his political ambitions,” the group, DeSantis Watch, said in a statement.