Kevin McCarthy might have been a miserable speaker, but he had unmatched skill in connecting big-money donors with Republican bank accounts. But since MAGA elements tossed McCarthy to demonstrate their control over the House, Republicans are forced to search for a new money man.
Politico suggests that the person they’re looking for could be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who desperately needs to find a second act in politics.
After his humiliation in the Republican presidential primaries, DeSantis could be finding his way back in from the cold by cranking up the fundraising machine. By reaching out to the people who poured millions into his campaign and convincing them to cut a fresh check, he could reemerge in 2028 as someone Republicans remember fondly.
However, DeSantis is no McCarthy. One GOP fundraiser has described him as “a very powerful brand and a powerful fundraiser,” but DeSantis has never demonstrated an ability to raise funds for anyone other than himself.
And before he can start raising money for anyone, DeSantis has a big fight on his hands in Florida.
This past Sunday, DeSantis traveled to Miami to pay homage to Donald Trump. The Washington Post reports that the meeting was not about DeSantis’ eligibility for vice president, but that the two parted on friendly terms. That’s quite a contrast from the animosity Trump directed at DeSantis during his humiliating and short-lived campaign.
Despite his return to the MAGA faithful, it won’t be simple for DeSantis to call up his wealthy donors on behalf of the Trump campaign. Following DeSantis’ departure from the race, many of his donors flipped their support to former South Carolina Nikki Haley, which is a good indicator that DeSantis wasn’t raising money because he’s a “powerful brand,” but rather because he is not Trump.
As Bloomberg reported in February, some of DeSantis’ big-money donors started sending money directly to congressional candidates after it became clear that there was no longer a viable alternative to Trump. But none of this seems to leave much room for DeSantis as a money middleman. DeSantis’ former funders are unlikely to give to Trump just because DeSantis tells them to, and if any of them are inclined to support down ballot races, they already are.
Of course, any money DeSantis raises for Republicans is unlikely to go anywhere beyond filling the ever-widening gulf of Trump’s legal expenses. Not when the Republican National Committee under daughter-in-law Lara Trump has already been co-opted by Trump’s scam operation.
Any money DeSantis raises is going to Trump. That’s both why he’s back in Trump’s good graces and why he’s unlikely to be a significant source of revenue.
Even if he had a long line of willing donors, the governor has something else to do that could be even more important than funneling money to Trump: defeat state ballot measures that would ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.
DeSantis has come down solidly against both measures, which are designed to directly address harsh laws passed at his request. That includes Florida’s draconian 6-week abortion ban, which went into effect on Wednesday despite doctors’ warnings about the threat to women’s lives.
The abortion measure on the ballot would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. It would not “mandate abortion up to birth,” as DeSantis has claimed, but it would give women complete control over their bodies until fetal viability and allow later abortions when necessary to protect a woman’s health.
Republicans are concerned that this measure, along with the measure to legalize marijuana, could draw additional young voters to the polls, placing Republicans in a position of having to fight hard to keep Florida.
If DeSantis can’t stop the ballot measures from passing, he’s going to come away from November a two-time loser. That’s even more true if the state flips for Biden in the fall. Without winning the fights in his own state, there will be little to commend DeSantis when Republicans ponder a candidate for 2028.
Not only will DeSantis fail to fill the McCarthy-shaped hole in Republican campaign coffers, but he also might not be able to save himself.
