Rauner's contribution came under fire this year when The Miami Herald reported that his wealthy gated community had early access to Covid vaccines. "We are fortunate to have DeSantis as the Governor of Florida and the country would be blessed to have him take a step into a larger role in the future," Sidman said in an email.īut raking in the large donations from national donors and leading Republican polling also mean more scrutiny than the average gubernatorial campaign gets. A plurality, 48 percent, said he should be re-elected, but 59 percent said they don't want him to run for president in 2024. And recent statewide polling has shown that with Covid-19 surging in the state as a result of the highly contagious delta variant, DeSantis risks overplaying his hand as the anti-mandate standard-bearer.Ī recent Quinnipiac University poll found DeSantis' overall job approval rating at 47 percent, a plurality, but 51 percent disapproved of his handling of the pandemic. Charlie Crist, who previously served as governor as a Republican, and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried - have launched challenges. DeSantis outpaced rivals and made gains over a previous Fabrizio poll, suggesting that his standing nationally with Republicans is rising.īut first, DeSantis has to win a second term as governor. Last month, polling by Tony Fabrizio, who has worked for Trump and DeSantis, found DeSantis atop a hypothetical field that didn't include Trump. "Political contributions are a statement of support." Covid, Covid, Covid "Florida is a large, diverse state and in many ways a bellwether of the nation," the executive director of the state Republican Party, Helen Aguirre Ferré, a former DeSantis aide, wrote in an email. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr., Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan, UFC President Dana White, Jimmy John's founder Jimmy John Liautaud, Jack Link's CEO Troy Link and disgraced Papa John's founder John Schnatter. DeSantis' large donations, particularly from out of state, ramped up.Īmong DeSantis' other top donors are St. The 2024 buzz around DeSantis accelerated in late February, after he finished second to Trump in a poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference - held on friendly Florida terrain - and was by far the top choice in a hypothetical field that excluded Trump. And the only guy that's really standing up to give that opposing view and give the other side a voice is Ron DeSantis." I think a lot of folks feel like they're being spoon-fed one side through the media and through the Washington, D.C., political class. "The country is very divided right now on how to approach Covid, on how to approach Afghanistan, on the border crisis and illegal immigration," Iarossi said. Nick Iarossi, a Tallahassee lobbyist and DeSantis fundraiser, said DeSantis is also raising plenty of small-dollar donations from across the country. Other Trump administration officials got in on the action, too: Former ambassadors Jamie McCourt and Kelly Craft and ex-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross donated $10,000 to $50,000. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, an ambassador in the Trump administration, also donated. Bruce Rauner, who moved to Florida after he lost re-election. DeSantis also raked in $500,000 in May from WeatherTech founder David MacNeil, $250,000 in March from Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus and $250,000 in February from former Illinois Gov. Ken Griffin, the GOP megadonor and billionaire founder of the hedge fund Citadel, donated $5 million to DeSantis' campaign in April - the largest donation he has received this year. Unlike the potential presidential candidates who serve in Congress and can accept only relatively small donations, DeSantis is allowed to get unlimited checks from donors under Florida law. Writing a check now is a low-risk way to get into DeSantis' circle early, an investment if he runs for president and wins the nomination. Campaign finance records covering the first seven months of this year showed that prominent contributors, including many beyond Florida, are investing in his 2022 re-election campaign - which could further solidify his prospects.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |