The 2024 presidential race is headlined by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Yet the most attacked presidential candidate in the 2024 election is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – by a wide margin.

Despite Trump holding a commanding lead in the polls against DeSantis, the Republican Florida governor is the number-one target for attack ads.

DeSantis has been the target of $20.2 million in negative independent expenditures – a quarter of all independent expenditures in the 2024 election cycle, according to the Washington Examiner.

Nearly all of the negative independent expenditures against DeSantis came from the Trump-supporting super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. Just $45,712 came from other groups. The Trump super PAC spent only $3.2 million on attack ads against Biden.

Only $8.1 million of negative independent expenditures was directed toward Trump. Meanwhile, $9.2 million of negative independent expenditures were used against Biden.

DeSantis was also the recipient of $11.2 million in positive independent expenditures – vastly outspending Biden's $1,731,588 and Trump's $850,195.

Nikki Haley was hit with $43,987 in negative independent expenditures, according to data compiled by Republican consultant Rob Pyers.

No money was spent on negative independent expenditures against the following presidential hopefuls: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Asa Hutchinson.

The Federal Election Commission defines independent expenditures as:

An independent expenditure is an expenditure for a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and which is not made in coordination with any candidate or their campaign or political party. Independent expenditures are not subject to any amount limitations but may be subject to reporting requirements.

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean told the Washington Examiner, "DeSantis would be the front-runner if Trump wasn’t in the presidential race. That’s why outside groups are spending so much money in a rush to define him early, in case he ends up being the Republican nominee."

Jess Szymanski, spokesperson for the DeSantis-supporting PAC Never Back Down, said the millions spent against DeSantis were "because they know he is the only candidate who can beat both Trump and Joe Biden."

Trump's campaign has been forced to divert campaign funds to legal fees.

Last month, the Washington Post reported that Trump's political action committee spent roughly $40 million in the first half of 2023 on legal fees defending Trump, his advisers, and others.

According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Trump has nearly a 40-point lead over DeSantis.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls showed Biden holding a slight advantage over Trump of less than half a point in a head-to-head battle, while Biden has a 2.4-point lead over DeSantis.

If elected, Biden would be 82 years old on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, while Trump would be 78 and DeSantis would be 46.

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