Ron DeSantis' PAC donates thousands to Iowa legislators who endorsed him

DES MOINES, Iowa — Great American Comeback, the leadership PAC aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, has donated nearly $100,000 to a slate of Iowa legislators who have endorsed the governor’s White House bid, according to Iowa campaign finance records.

At least 14 of the 42 Iowa state legislators who have endorsed DeSantis received donations from the leadership PAC, ranging in individual sums from $2,500 to $15,000. The first donations were made in early October, followed by several more in November and another three in December, the campaign finance records show.

While other campaigns and leadership PACs have done this in the past, the practice is not overwhelmingly common. The disclosures provide the first glimpse at Great American Comeback’s spending since the DeSantis campaign began to use the vehicle last summer. It can raise money in concert with DeSantis’ campaign, but it has restrictions on how it can be spent — and it doesn’t have to file a campaign finance disclosure detailing its activity since July until the end of Jan. 31, after the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

Leadership PACs are often used as tools for federal candidates to distribute money to allies at both the federal and state level. Great American Comeback is a different committee than the super PACs, like Never Back Down, that have spent millions of dollars on TV ads and other activities supporting DeSantis. Unlike a super PAC, a leadership PAC is restricted by individual donation limits.

Iowa state Senate President Amy Sinclair and state House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl — two of the governor’s most high-profile legislative endorsers — received the largest single donations to their campaign committees, at