Ron DeSantis May Not Have Significant Stock Holdings, But His Political Supporters Do
What stock holdings does Florida governor Ron DeSantis currently have? His latest financial disclosures do not mention any stock positions.
Oct. 1 2021, Published 2:20 p.m. ET
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be running for reelection as well as the presidency.
The Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been an ally of former President Trump and a staunch opponent of most COVID-19 regulations. The governor, like other state and federal elected officials, is required to file regular financial disclosure statements detailing his financial holdings and net worth.
The most recent financial disclosure for DeSantis did not include any information on specific stock holdings that could impact his net worth. Other political officials with specific stock holdings that have caught the media’s attention recently include Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
What is DeSantis’ net worth?
Governor DeSantis reported income was $134,181 in his recent financial disclosure statements, which is entirely from his governor salary. A disclosure shared on the website for the Florida Commission on Ethics showed that DeSantis had a net worth of $348,832 as of Dec. 31, 2020.
That net worth figure represents an increase of almost 20 percent, as his net worth was reportedly $291,449 at the end of 2019.
The most up-to-date financial disclosure showed DeSantis holding $235,000 in a USAA account; $105,755 in a government thrift savings plan (used for retirement savings and investment); and $30,302 in the Florida Retirement System. Each of those accounts had gained value since 2019.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis has not yet filed required financial disclosures for a reelection campaign, though he announced to Fox News host Sean Hannity on September 29 that he plans to run for another term as governor.
Ron DeSantis' skill in political fundraising eclipses his personal wealth
Although DeSantis himself does not list major stock holdings, his fundraising committee has taken in millions from Wall Street investors, Bloomberg reported. Paul Tudor Jones of Tudor Management and Ken Griffin of Citadel are among his most generous contributors.
DeSantis is a popular name mentioned among Republicans as the potential presidential candidate for 2024. However, he told Mr. Hannity that he is focused on doing his job and running for reelection as the Florida governor.
Thus far, though DeSantis has been continuously raising funds through the Friends of Ron DeSantis committee, he has not filed the campaign documents paperwork to become a candidate for the governorship. The Tampa Bay Times said DeSantis has not filed campaign documents, released a financial disclosure, reported campaign spending, or assigned a campaign treasurer.
Florida allows politicians to collect unlimited funds from donors as long as they are not officially a candidate for office. However, once they’ve declared candidacy, the limit is $3,000 maximum from any individual or entity.
The Division of Electoral Records noted that DeSantis’ committee had raised nearly $46 million the first eight months of this year. Some of the spending from that committee has included $400,000 for store inventory such as anti-mask merchandise; $510,000 for fundraising; about $200,000 for database services; and $120,000 for advertising.
Two of the Democrats listed on the official candidate list by the Florida Division of Elections are Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and former governor and current Congressman Charlie Crist.