Seven donors contributed more than $1 million each to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' successful reelection effort, according to Florida Politics.
The money went to "Friends of Ron DeSantis," a political committee, and the primary fundraising apparatus for the Republican governor. Florida Politics noted the committee raised nearly $171 million for DeSantis.
The donors were:
- $20,950,000 came from the Republican Governors Association, the top donor to the campaign. The group's mission is to elect Republicans to lead state government, according to Florida Politics.
- $10 million was donated by Robert Bigelow, founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace, the top individual donor.
- $5 million was donated by Kenneth Griffin, the majority owner of Citadel, America's largest hedge fund.
- $2 million came from the Club For Growth PAC.
- $2 million was donated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns the Hard Rock brand used on casino hotels and restaurants.
- $1.25 million was donated by Walter Buckley Jr. a philanthropist and political megadonor.
- $1.1 million was donated by David MacNeil, CEO of WeatherTech, an auto accessory manufacturer.
Florida Politics noted that a total of 300 checks were reported as donations in the amount of $100,000 or more each.
Meanwhile, a USA Today and Suffolk University poll, released Tuesday, found Republicans support DeSantis over former President Donald Trump by a double-digit margin in a hypothetical on who will receive the GOP nomination for president in 2024.
More than half of Republicans want DeSantis to run, while about one-third want Trump to launch a third campaign for the White House: 56% back DeSantis; 33% back Trump.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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