Governor Ron DeSantis bolstered his reelection campaign in December after raising nearly $3.67 million, capping off a yearly fundraising total of roughly $70 million.

Friends of Ron DeSantis, a statewide political action committee to assist in DeSantis’ gubernatorial race, has accumulated $64.3 million in fundraising across the 2021 calendar year. Notably, Friends of Ron DeSantis was found to have raised nearly as much from out-of-state donors ($17 million) as in-state donors ($19.7 million) throughout the past year.

The political committee received 23 contributions of $50,000 or more during the month of December, setting up a considerable campaign spending gap between DeSantis and gubernatorial opponents like Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist.

Fried, the sitting state Agriculture Commissioner, saw a sharp decline in campaign fundraising toward the end of the year, picking up just over $100 thousand for her official campaign in November, while Crist in December surpassed the $5 million mark for total cash raised since the launch of his election bid.

DeSantis’ largest contributions came from the Republican Governors Association at $500,000 while other large contributions included $200,000 from Kane Financial Services LLC of West Palm Beach.

DeSantis is an early favorite to recapture the governor’s office in 2022, beating Fried by a +9 percent margin (51 percent to 42 percent) and Crist by a +6 percent margin (51 percent to 45 percent) in the most recent St. Pete Polls findings on Nov. 19.

DeSantis is also considered an early front runner for the GOP presidential primary election in 2024, though the governor has been tight-lipped about his intentions to do so.

“My focus is on the great state of Florida right now,” said DeSantis on a Nov. 9 appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight when asked about his presidential ambitions. “My goal is to win a second term as Governor.