Amid increasing speculation of a last-minute entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin attended a recent meet-and-greet donor event in Nantucket, Massachusetts, the Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday.
This comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was once considered the strongest challenger to Donald Trump for the GOP nomination, continues to poll farther and farther behind the former president.
A source familiar with the event in Massachusetts confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Youngkin attended the gathering at the home of Putnam Investments CEO Robert Reynolds, where billionaire Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman was also present.
Schwarzman, who once was a big-dollar backer of Trump, came out against him last year, which was considered a blow to the former president's 2024 efforts.
Schwarzman told Axios during the interview last year that "it is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders, and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries."
The Blackstone CEO, however, has so far been undecided as to who he will back in the 2024 Republican contest for the presidential nomination.
Another wealthy donor, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has also reportedly been encouraging Youngkin to belatedly enter the 2024 race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Murdoch has been backing DeSantis so far, but he has reportedly been souring on the prospects of victory for the Florida governor.
The Washington Post reported last week that Murdoch and Youngkin have talked with each other at least two times in person about the possibility of a presidential run by the Virginia governor.
A representative for Murdoch, however, did not comment when asked about it by the Washington Examiner.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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