Which Republican Candidate Raised the Most Money After the First Debate?

Following the first Republican debate held Wednesday night, which candidates best converted their onstage performance into campaign contributions and digital traffic?

DeSantis: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely polled to be the main challenger to frontrunner Donald Trump, reportedly fundraised more than $1 million in the 24 hours after the debate. A statement from his campaign read, “Ron DeSantis showed Wednesday night that he is a proven leader who will deliver results as president, and we are thrilled with the flood of support we have received since his debate victory.”

Ramaswamy: Similarly, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign reported over $1 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after the debate, with $460,000 on Wednesday night and $600,000 on Thursday. According to Ramaswamy’s campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, the average donation was $38. Ramaswamy was also reportedly the top candidate name searched on Google following the debate.

Haley: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign did not release specific fundraising data in the aftermath of the debate, but did report that the campaign received more online donations in the 24-hours following the debate than any single day since the campaign launched in February. Haley’s campaign website also reportedly experienced a 10-fold increase in traffic, and Haley was the second-most searched candidate on Google following the debate, behind Ramaswamy.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage of campaign finance statistics was mild across the spectrum, with the $1 million figures reported by both DeSantis and Ramaswamy receiving the majority of media attention.