POLITICO A nicer version of Trump : GOP donors flock to DeSantis
The Florida governor has cultivated relationships with many of the party s biggest givers, who admire his opposition to strict Covid mitigation policies.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen during a press conference on June 8, 2020 in Miami, Florida. | Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images
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Over dinner, the Florida governor addressed an audience of
deep-pocketed donors convened by the influential Bradley Foundation, an organization that funnels cash to right-leaning nonprofit groups. DeSantis, whose attendance has not been previously reported, held forth for nearly an hour, detailing the anti-lockdown approach to the coronavirus pandemic that’s turned him into a conservative hero and propelled him to the upper echelon of potential 2024 GOP hopefuls.
National News
Apr 16, 2021
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) When he launched his campaign to become Florida’s governor in January 2018, few expected Ron DeSantis to prevail in America’s toughest political battleground.
The 39-year-old congressman was largely unknown outside his Daytona Beach district. He didn’t have the professional staff or fundraising prowess typically required to compete in such a large state. And he was going up against a more established rival for the Republican nomination.
But at his side, DeSantis had a key ally with strong connections in state politics and the respect of the White House: Matt Gaetz, the Florida congressman now embroiled in a federal sex trafficking investigation. Gaetz appeared at campaign events alongside DeSantis, played his Democratic rival Andrew Gillum in mock debate preparations and encouraged then-President Donald Trump to back DeSantis for governor.
There is no indication that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is tied to the federal probe of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, which has also ensnared several other prominent figures in Florida Republican politics. But the investigation could spark new scrutiny of their political partnership and become a liability for DeSantis as he runs for reelection ahead of a possible presidential bid in 2024.
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