Republican donors who have opened their wallets for Donald Trump are now backing Ron DeSantis as he bids to win a second term as governor of Florida, it has emerged.
New campaign filings obtained by Politico show that DeSantis, 43, has received $3.4 million from 10 donors who collectively spent $24 million on Trump’s reelection bid.
Many of those who donated had never contributed to state-level Florida elections before, and include Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, 93, who gave DeSantis $500,000. In 2016, he was one of Donald Trump’s most generous donors, contributing $7 million.
The analysis comes as Trump, 76, faces increasing questions about whether he could beat DeSantis in 2024, if the governor decides to challenge him.
On Monday Trump told The New Yorker in an article entitled: Can Ron DeSantis displace Donald Trump as the G.O.P.’s combatant in chief? that he was responsible for DeSantis’s political career thanks to a 2018 endorsement credited with landing the Florida man the governor’s post.
“If I didn’t endorse him, he wouldn’t have won,” Trump said.
On Monday night, asked again whether he would beat DeSantis in 2024, Trump told Newsmax: “I was very responsible for him getting elected.”
His backers include Richard Uihlein, a midwestern shipping magnate, who with his wife Elizabeth has contributed in excess of $30 million combined over two decades.
He has given more than any other Republican so far to the 2022 campaigns and is known as one of Trump’s biggest backers.
Uihlein was also one of the biggest financial backers of the January 6 pro-Trump March to Save America rally.
Uihlein has given $1.2 million to DeSantis, Politico reported.
Another major donor is William Buckley, a retired venture capitalist with a home in the Palm Beach enclave of Lost Tree Village. Buckley has given $1 million to the governor’s campaign.
Those dipping their toes into Florida campaigns for the first time include Steven Witkoff, real estate investor, and Willis Johnson, a Tennessee billionaire who founded a vehicle auction and salvage company. Both gave DeSantis $100,000.
One of Trump’s closest friends, casino magnate Phil Ruffin, 82, is also now donating to DeSantis’s campaign.
Ruffin gave Trump $2.5 million for his 2016 election; this year, he has given DeSantis $100,000.
Other Trump donors now backing his younger potential rival include Texas oil baron Kelcy Warren, who spent $10 million backing Trump in 2020, has also given DeSantis $50,000.
Larry Garatoni, an Indiana businessman, gave Trump $500,000, and has given DeSantis $35,000.
Geoffrey Palmer, a Los Angeles developer, has given DeSantis $20,000 this cycle, having spent $6 million in 2020 to help Trump’s reelection.
DeSantis has amassed a campaign war chest of $100 million, setting new records, and leaving him well positioned to turn those funds to 2024.
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