Follow the money, honey.
There's a lot of talk about who came out on top during the debate. You'll find no shortage of differing opinions on the internet, including on this very website be it in the articles or the comment section.
But one thing that can definitely point to the approval or disapproval of someone's performance is the amount of money that gets raked in afterward, and reports are already showing us who attracted the most cash.
According to Fox News, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy did well enough that donations began flowing in by the wheelbarrows.
DeSantis was the clear favorite, raking in over $1 million:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy experienced an impressive fundraising surge following the first Republican debate.
DeSantis' campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that it pulled in more than $1 million in the 24 hours after Wednesday's contest in Milwaukee.
Ramaswamy too brought in a cool million, and just in time according to Fox News:
Political newcomer Ramaswamy also saw money flow into his committee. His campaign hauled in $460,000 on debate night and $600,000 on Thursday, bringing his total to over $1 million in new funds over 24 hours, the New York Post reported.
Ramaswamy's cash wave was much needed, as his campaign reported raising $19 million through the year's first half. Ramaswamy, however, had loaned his committee more than $15 million of that amount.
As of this writing, other GOP contenders haven't released any fundraising data.
These numbers keep with what we've seen come out of recent polling. DeSantis was declared the winner of the debates by a WaPo/Five-Thirty-Eight poll. As RedState reported, 29 percent believed DeSantis won, followed by Ramaswamy close behind at 26 percent.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Trump will soon be announcing some big fundraising numbers himself despite not taking part in the debate and choosing, instead, to have an ultimately disappointing softball interview with Tucker Carlson.
(READ: Trump’s Tucker Interview Could Ultimately Prove To Be an Issue for Him)
His mugshot coming from the Fulton County Jail is currently being spread far and wide, and while the left is definitely fundraising off of it to the best of their ability, Trump will ultimately get the lion's share of cash from its creation. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about that very soon as the Trump campaign will want to exhibit his own popularity with the people, especially so close DeSantis's fundraising announcement.
Trump aside, the cash flow between DeSantis and Ramaswamy highlights an interesting dynamic developing in this race. DeSantis is the favorite, but it would appear more and more people are being brought in by Ramaswamy. While he's widely known to the GOP, many would have just heard about him for the first time on Wednesday night.
How these approval numbers change as more debates happen and people look deeper into Ramaswamy is anyone's guess, but what's clear is that many people liked what they saw. If he continues to build momentum, he could prove a problem for DeSantis.
But judging by the poll numbers and his own cash flow, DeSantis is building his own momentum that could prove to be a problem for even Trump. The only thing standing in DeSantis's way in terms of catching up with Trump is the leftist attack machine which continues to make Trump into a rebel leader more than a GOP politician.
(READ: Outlaw Country)
Time will tell, but in the meantime, both DeSantis and Ramaswamy can celebrate with their campaigns for their wins and their winnings.
