How GOP Donors Really Feel About Ron DeSantis

Party financiers have some reservations about the Florida governor, but the narrative of a donor exodus lacks nuance.

By
31
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a fundraiser on May 6, 2023, in Rothschild, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ron DeSantis has largely maintained support for his expected 2024 bid from wealthy Republican donors despite some bad headlines in recent weeks. Yet the Florida governor risks raising less money in the near future as party financiers weigh his viability as a challenger to Donald Trump.

The Florida governor’s sagging presidential poll numbers, and Trump’s increasingly commanding lead, have led to countless stories about the Florida governor’s evaporating support from major Republican benefactors. Donors and consultants connected to them tell The Dispatch those reports are “overblown”—though they acknowledge that some are scaling back contributions or hitting pause on more giving. 

“I’ve not heard someone who’s a DeSantis guy saying: ‘I’m leaving.’ But I have seen some who are thinking about him having second thoughts,” said Eric Levine, an attorney and Republican donor in New York who opposes Trump but has not picked an alternative contender. He added that while the governor is still “very viable,” some donors “are just really curious about his strategy.”

For many DeSantis doubters, the fundamental question is whether he can take on Trump. And they’re comfortable waiting until the governor jumps into the race before deciding whether he’s a good investment. 

Create a free account
Access additional articles and newsletters for no cost, no credit card information needed. Continue ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN
31
By
Comments (31)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Avatar photo
    Mister D

    DeSantis is as flawed as any viable GOP nominee would be because he has supported Trump so much and aped him when he could. The difference between the candidates (and Trump) is a matter of degree not kind. I would love to vote for a conservative Never Trump candidate who has a chance to win, but they have no shot of 1) getting the nomination and 2) keeping the base of the party even if they did. At least I live in New York so my vote matters even less than most.

    Collapse
  2. Biebighauser

    I think it is entirely plausible that Biden or Trump, or both, implodes before 2024.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Vwade

      We can only hope.

      Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      Ben Connelly

      I agree

      Collapse
  3. Avatar photo
    PaulH

    Dan Senor's recent podcast ("Call Me Back") with Mike Murphy makes some similar points and more broadly discusses the state of the GOP primary: TLDR: it is too early to make projections and Trump is weaker than he looks.

    Collapse
  4. Avatar photo
    Ajax81613

    I enjoyed your convo w Christie. Keep it up!

    Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    Ajax81613

    Thanks David!

    Collapse
  6. Trichwages

    Sharing - free.

    https://specialto.thebulwark.com/p/the-corruption-of-lindsey-graham?utm_medium=ios

    “Here’s why this project is important: It’s not really about Lindsey Graham.” “Going in, you should understand that this story isn’t about hypocrisy. And it’s not a dunk-fest. The point of it isn’t to embarrass Graham or make ourselves feel better for not following on his path. The point is to understand why and how nearly the entire Republican and conservative establishment made the same journey.”

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Logical

      This is a must read IMO by TD subscribers. Thanks for posting.

      If time is limited, one can jump to the ending; how dictatorships come to be in democracies.

      Collapse
      1. Trichwages

        I posted it in all the TD May 9 comments sections, lol.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          PaulH

          Thanks for spamming.

          Collapse
          1. Trichwages

            A one time deal :-)

            Collapse
  7. Craig Berry

    I’ll be honest, I don’t like either guy. But I could see myself holding my nose and voting for DeSantis but can never see myself voting for Trump.

    That being said, how much passion does DeSantis really inspire? His main positive seems to be, “Well, at least he’s not that orange guy”. I don’t know if that gets you across the line as a Republican nowadays. Trump, for all his many faults, inspires passion. I don’t know if DeSantis does enough of that to win.

    Then again, Biden doesn’t exactly stir the D base. It was more, “Oh crap, we’re about to nominate the only person who can lose to Trump just like we did last time” and pivoted to Biden. Maybe the same happens for RD.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Jeff Walden

      DeSantis inspires some passion derived from his record of policies, from the now-dominance of the Republican party in a former battleground state, and (this is probably biggest these days) from his not shying from fights. Those are markedly more substantive rationales than Trump ever had going for him.

      DeSantis's biggest problem is he's just fighting *all* the time, rather than picking battles that *need* to be fought, that *are* winnable. So you get petty feuding mixed in among actual meaningful achievement. Dude seriously needs to log off Twitter and just do -- with identical force -- what he thinks is right. Show some personality and principle beyond just owning the libs.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Vwade

        Seriously! I used to think he was a smart, competent guy, and it seems that all that is important to him now is owning the libs, fighting the woke and trying to get the best of Disney. Is that all he has?

        Collapse
  8. Avatar photo
    Aylene Wright

    Thanks for this actually nuanced piece. What I object to in a lot of recent political coverage, is that much of it assumes nothing will really change when Desantis actually announces, and the general assumption that current polling is set in stone. Maybe that's true, but I think it's too early to definitely proclaim it.

    In addition, Peter Thiel recently expressed support for Desantis, although that might have a been a "IF he is the nominee" statement, not a pledge to support him in the primary.

    Collapse
  9. Avatar photo
    George.Skinner

    DeSantis's pitch has always been the idea that he's a competent leader who can appeal to right wing populists, and most importantly, the only viable alternative to Trump as nominee. Those propositions are rapidly being undermined as people become more familiar with DeSantis the man, and DeSantis engages in self-destructive battles with Disney and hikes towards the far fringes of the culture war.
    One of the ironies of DeSantis is that after establishing himself as a rock-ribbed Freedom Caucus Republican at the start of his political career, he switched paths to embrace MAGA with the rise of Trump. In both cases, he was trying to ride the crest of the political tides. Now it's looking like the populist culture warrior position he's been pursuing is far less important to Trump supporters than DeSantis calculated - they support Trump for being Trump. I'm reminded of the remark about a long-time British politician: "Austen Chamberlain always played the game, and always lost."

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      PaulH

      The interesting thing is that none of the Freedom Caucus turned out to be particular "rock-ribbed" -- they all more or less switched to being MAGA. While I have low expectations for politicians being principled, the switch was quite remarkable.

      I agree that DeSantis has been steadily undermining his appeal, particularly with the Disney tiff. I can understand pushing some culture war buttons, but he is overdoing it. And it is all largely unforced errors.

      Collapse
  10. Avatar photo
    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    I'm not worried. DeSantis is smart and disciplined, unlike one of the announced candidates in the field. Waiting will allow Trump mania to fade a bit, then when he announces his support will increase.

    As much as I like Nikki Haley, the fact that she hasn't surged a bit suggest she oughtta get out now, and preserve her 2028 run.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Teresaklopfer

      I am really liking Nikki! She is the whole package: smart, cagey, a fighter and a consensus builder, and principled. I am SO distressed by the defeatism from conservatives and especially elected R’s. It is still early. We need to start donating money, time and energy to decent candidates and organizations that are fighting Trump in a smart way. Some were asleep at the wheel in 2015/2016. There is no excuse for that this time. We fully know who DJT is this time and we need to expose it.

      All that being said, I would vote strategically for DeSantis if he is clearly the only one who can defeat Trump when my state primary rolls around. I am also open to other Republican candidates if they can make their case. My hope is that Haley will be the one to surge and be the alternative. Defeating Trump is the conservative and patriotic imperative of our generation.

      Collapse
    2. Retired Prosecutor

      Months before any votes are cast, months before there are any primary, months before any candidate debates, and before DeSantis has even announced, people are writing him off. How weird is that?

      Collapse
    3. Avatar photo
      Dusty

      I'm onboard the Tim Scott train. But if he doesn't gain momentum early then the prudent thing to do is to hop off and jump on the DeSantis bandwagon.

      Collapse
Load More