Influential South Carolina GOP donors to hold fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
A small group of influential South Carolina Republican donors who want to see Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis get reelected this year are planning to host a fundraiser for the popular national GOP figure in Charleston later this week, according to a source close to the governor.
The source, who spoke to The State newspaper Monday on the condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely about the exclusive event, confirmed the fundraiser will be held Thursday evening at a private residence in the Charleston area.
The impending visit will put DeSantis in an early presidential primary voting state that has a robust history of picking GOP presidential nominees.
The South Carolina trip also comes at a time when DeSantis has become one of America’s most recognizable Republican figures, whose rising national profile continues to fuel speculation that the former federal prosecutor, who is seeking reelection this November, also might be eyeing a run for the White House.
A source close to DeSantis insisted the Charleston fundraiser that will put DeSantis some 400 miles away from his home state is squarely about the Florida governor’s 2022 reelection campaign — not a hypothetical 2024 presidential bid.
Repeated requests for comment from the DeSantis campaign about the upcoming fundraiser by phone calls, emails and text messages were not returned.
DeSantis, 43, has become a popular GOP figure who, so far, has amassed a $100 million-plus war chest as he seeks reelection.
He is not only popular in his home state, but has made a national name for himself. He has built a reputation for engaging on culture war issues from critical race theory to school mask mandates, further endearing him to the Republican base.
His most recent headline-grabbing fight involved a public feud with Disney World, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and one of Florida’s biggest private employers.
It came after the company criticized a new state law signed by DeSantis that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade, which critics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The upcoming South Carolina fundraiser this week will be the second political fundraiser held for DeSantis in Charleston in as many years.
According to a 2021 news report from Politico, DeSantis in February 2021 headlined a fundraiser at the Charleston Place Hotel, a luxury hotel located in the heart of downtown Charleston.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Influential South Carolina GOP donors to hold fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis."
