DeSantis Megadonor Gives $1 Million To Miami Mayor

May 17, 2023 Politics, Republicans

Florida Politics reports:

A top financier of Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaigns recently gave a large donation to a political committee linked to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, whom the Governor may soon face in a Republican Primary for President. Billionaire GOP megadonor Ken Griffin, the CEO of hedge fund Citadel, wrote a $1 million check March 7 to Miami For Everyone, a political committee that raised and spent funds for Suarez’s 2021 re-election.

It’s the first donation to Suarez from Griffin, who since 2018 has donated $10.75 million to DeSantis, including $5 million during the 2022 election cycle. Suarez has been mulling his own bid for the nation’s top elected for more than a year and a half. He’s become more open about it in recent months. And in February, he embarked on a 10-city tour with former Donald Trump adviser Ja’Ron Smith.

Read the full article. Last week Suarez announced that he is “seriously considering” running for president. As I noted at the time, he’s likely just trying to raise statewide name recognition for a bid to succeed DeSantis as governor, either if DeSantis somehow becomes president or after he’s term-limited out in 2026. Of note, Florida governors are only limited to two consecutive terms.

Top @RonDeSantisFL donor gives $1M to potential Presidential Primary foe @FrancisSuarez

Reporting by @JesseScheckner https://t.co/TfM11z0BfX #FlaPol

— Florida Politics (@Fla_Pol) May 17, 2023