DeSantis donors switch to Republican rivals

Bruce Rauner of Illinois is among those who supported the Florida governor last year but has backed Nikki Haley.

Ron DeSantis after the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee last month. Picture: AFP

Republican donors who backed Ron DeSantis in the hope he could topple former president Donald Trump are diverting their funds to other candidates.

A Politico analysis of the biggest donors to the Florida Governor’s campaign last year, when he won a second term and was hailed as a rising star, found many now backed his rivals in the Republican primary race or had stopped donating.

Mr DeSantis trails Mr Trump by about 40 percentage points in the polls and is fighting to hold on to second place.

Bruce Rauner, the former governor of Illinois, is among those who supported Mr DeSantis last year but has backed Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador, in the primary race.

Ms Haley, who performed strongly in the Republican television debate two weeks ago, has attracted support from the moderate wing of the party.

Mr Rauner, who made millions in private equity, told Politico Mr DeSantis had done “a terrific job as Governor” but Ms Haley “probably has the best chance to win the general election”. Ms Haley remains a distant fourth in the polls, however.

The FiveThirtyEight polling average shows Mr Trump retaining a commanding lead on 53 per cent. Mr DeSantis trails in second on 15 per cent, with Vivek Ramaswamy on 8.7 per cent and Ms Haley on 6 per cent.

The DeSantis campaign remains flush with cash. His fundraising committee had almost $US97m ($152m) at the end of June, the most of any Republican candidate, including Mr Trump, whose campaign reported $US31m in funds.

“Ron DeSantis out-raised both Biden and Trump last quarter,” said Andrew Romeo, a DeSantis campaign spokesman. “We continue to see enthusiasm from grassroots.”

Much of his war chest was left over from his campaign to be re-elected Governor. His presidential bid has been overshadowed by reports of unrest among donors and staffing cuts.

Mr Trump has delighted in Mr DeSantis’s slump. The candidate once regarded as his strongest rival has fallen consistently in the polls since officially launching his campaign in May.

The former president tried to start a rumour last week that the Governor was poised to pull out of the presidential race and run for the Senate, a claim denied by the Mr DeSantis campaign.

Other Republican rivals are struggling, including Mike Pence, the former vice-president, who said Mr Trump’s populism was a “road to ruin”.

The Times