As Ron DeSantis‘ campaign continues to lose momentum and the Florida governor gets dragged even further into a nasty fight with Disney, one of his major donors has reportedly started to back Chris Christie in the Republican primary.
The former New Jersey has consistently trailed behind in the polls and struggled to escape the single digits, but he has relentlessly hammered Donald Trump at every opportunity. DeSantis, on the other hand, has been more cautious about attacking Trump for fear of angering a MAGA base that will be crucial in the general election.
However, the Florida governor has failed to spark excitement on the campaign trail, and at least one of his biggest donors has started backing the more pugnacious Christie.
Via Tampa Bay Times:
A prominent Ron DeSantis donor wrote large checks to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign and a super PAC supporting Christie’s bid for the White House, campaign finance records show.
Paul Tudor Jones II, a billionaire hedge fund manager who lives in Palm Beach, donated $150,000 to a pro-Christie super PAC, Tell It Like It Is, on June 15. At the end of the month, he also gave the legal maximum of $6,600 to Christie’s campaign committee.
According to the Times, Jones “has been considered one of DeSantis’ deep-pocketed supporters” and donated $1 million to his 2020 gubernatorial campaign. Jones’ donations to Christie have not been disclosed until now, and it’s not exactly the type of news that DeSantis needs at the moment. The Florida governor is set to square off with Christie, a fiery former prosecutor, during the first GOP debate on Wednesday night.
If DeSantis comes out of the evening looking battered, it will not bode well for his campaign.
(Via Tampa Bay Times)
Source: https://uproxx.com/viral/ron-desantis-donors-chris-christie/