Get to know the financial backers of Ron DeSantis as he considers challenging Trump in the 2024 election.
Get ready for a showdown! Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, is expected to announce his 2024 White House bid and go head-to-head with former President Donald Trump. And he’s got some big names backing him up. A host of billionaires and wealthy businessmen, including real estate mogul Robert Bigelow, have donated millions to DeSantis’ campaign, according to disclosures reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
DeSantis has been making moves, traveling to primary battleground states like New Hampshire, Nevada, and Iowa. Rumor has it that he could announce his presidential run at the end of Florida’s legislative session in May. But not everyone is on board with DeSantis’ conservative policies. Some high-profile donors are reportedly urging him to distance himself from Trump’s more controversial cultural stances, like the recent six-week abortion ban he signed into law.
Despite the tension, Republican strategist and CNN commentator Scott Jennings believes that money won’t be the only determining factor in this race. “What will be determinative is whether DeSantis can consolidate the non-Trump wing of the party behind him, and if more than half the party wants to do something different,” he told the Washington Examiner.
It’s a two-step process, according to Jennings. Money is important, but it’s not everything. And DeSantis has some serious financial backing. Bigelow, for example, claims to have donated $20 million to Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis’ presidential bid. He also gave $10 million to the governor’s state political action committee in July 2022, which was deemed to be the single largest campaign check in the history of Florida.
So, get ready for a wild ride. The battle for the Republican nomination in 2024 is shaping up to be a fierce one, with DeSantis and Trump both vying for the top spot. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell.
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supporter making waves in the political arena is William Bigelow, who recently pledged to give more money to the Florida governor’s campaign than he spends on food. Bigelow, who has only just begun financially supporting DeSantis, is just one of many high-profile donors backing the governor’s bid for the presidency.
Despite facing stiff competition from former President Donald Trump, who currently leads the pack in the Republican primary polls, DeSantis is polling in second place, far ahead of other potential candidates like Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, and even former Vice President Mike Pence. Senator Tim Scott has also thrown his hat in the ring, but is currently polling at just 1.6%.
One of DeSantis’ top donors is billionaire CEO Ken Griffin, who has already given millions to the governor’s campaign and plans to continue supporting him, despite some wealthy donors pulling their support. Griffin is also a major player in the 2022 midterm elections, having contributed over $100 million to Republicans on the state and federal levels.
While DeSantis has faced some criticism for his controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, which aims to curb gender-based curricula in schools, his supporters remain steadfast in their belief that he is the best candidate to lead the Republican party and defeat Joe Biden in the general election.illionaire Thomas Peterffy, who has been a generous donor to Governor DeSantis in the past, has recently announced that he will not be supporting the governor any further. Peterffy cited DeSantis’ stance on abortion and book banning as the reason for his decision. It seems that the governor’s signing of the Parental Rights in Education Act and Stop Woke Act, as well as the six-week abortion ban, did not sit well with Peterffy and his friends.
Despite this setback, DeSantis still has a strong base of support from other wealthy donors, including Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus and hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones II. However, there are questions about whether some of these donors, who have supported Trump in the past, will fully pivot to DeSantis in 2024.
Meanwhile, pro-DeSantis super PACs are ramping up their efforts, with the Never Back Down PAC being led by ex-Trump official Ken Cuccinelli and counting communications veterans Erin Perrine and Matt Wolking among its members. The PAC has also recently hired Jeff Roe, a top adviser for influential voices on the Right like Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
It seems that DeSantis is positioning himself as a strong conservative leader who can protect Social Security and Second Amendment rights while also finishing building the border wall. And with Trump reportedly urging him not to run for president, it’s clear that DeSantis is seen as a formidable opponent who could beat the former president in a primary. The 2024 election is shaping up to be an interesting one, and we’ll be watching closely to see how things unfold.
Get ready for a political showdown! Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has been making waves with its fundraising efforts. While the exact numbers won’t be public until July, reports from early April suggest that the group has already raised an impressive $30 million. And they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
In fact, Never Back Down just sent out hundreds of thousands of mailers to voters in key states like Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada, and New Hampshire. They’ve also released their first TV ad, which takes aim at former President Trump for criticizing DeSantis instead of Democrats.
But Never Back Down isn’t the only group supporting DeSantis. Ready for Ron, another super PAC, launched a $3.3 million ad campaign back in January. And while their fundraising numbers are also under wraps until July, records show that businessman and electrical engineer Shaun McCutcheon loaned the group $100,000 in June 2022.
Both Never Back Down and Ready for Ron are backed by prominent Republican campaign finance lawyer Dan Backer. And while Backer personally supports Trump, he’s not convinced that the former president can win a general election. “If you can’t win, I can’t support you,” he says.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting race, and we can’t wait to see what happens next. Stay tuned for more updates!
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