Ron DeSantis holds a multimillion dollar lead over Trump, who's actually third behind a Democratic governor, in a hypothetical 2024 fundraising race: report

• Ron DeSantis has more money to mount a 2024 presidential campaign than Trump.
• A review of campaign filing reports shows Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker leads the pack for Democrats.

While no one has officially thrown their hat in the 2024 ring against incumbent President Joe Biden, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' current war chest is $40 million fatter than Donald Trump's right now. In fact, the embattled former president is also trailing Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker by about $2 million.

Campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets uncovered Trump's third-place status among prospective presidential contenders after sifting through filing reports for the past two years.

While current law mandates that anyone who formally declares for 2024 would be subject to more stringent fundraising rules and couldn't directly coordinate with existing super PACs or leadership PACs, OpenSecrets calculated how much money the likeliest contenders on both sides of the aisle have stockpiled to date.

DeSantis, who is facing off against former congressman and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist this fall, leads the pack with $174.3 million. The two went at it Thursday after DeSantis sent dozens of Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard as part of an immigration-related publicity stunt.

Pritzker, who in July said he'd back Biden if he runs for reelection next cycle, is the second highest money man at $133.3 million.

Trump, who keeps adding lawyers to his payroll to combat legal probes into his alleged mishandling of sensitive government documents, his alleged role in the deadly siege at the US Capitol, and his fundraising practices, rounds out the top three with $131.1 million.

The next highest fundraiser is Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has reportedly raked in $35.3 million.

Biden, who would be 82 on Inauguration Day 2025 if he won, has $11.9 million in the bank.

As it stands now, state-level officials like DeSantis and Pritzker are prohibited from transferring their state funds into presidential campaign accounts. Likewise, Trump could not use most of his PAC money to directly fund his 2024 presidential campaign, were he to create one.