Florida Republicans' big event will be missing Trump and DeSantis
One of the Florida Republican Party's biggest annual events will be missing some of the state’s biggest names, including Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — One of the Florida Republican Party's biggest annual events will be missing several of the state’s most prominent Republicans this year, including Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. The absences have some in the party fretting that the event could be a fundraising dud and put an unwelcome spotlight on the presidential-level tightrope Republicans in the state have to walk.
The Republican Party of Florida’s Statesman’s Dinner, held next month in Orlando, is a gathering of the party’s highest dignitaries and grassroots leaders that offers both a boost of energy and a show of fundraising might.
Part of the reason that Trump was not invited is that Florida Republicans wanted the focus at the dinner to be on state-level party building, so they originally decided to try to get DeSantis as their main speaker, according to three sources familiar with the planning process.
During his 2022 re-election bid, DeSantis raised huge sums of political cash for the party. Those dollars were used to help fuel a dominating midterm cycle for Florida Republicans, including overtaking Democrats' long-held voter registration advantage in the state.
Despite the party holding out for the governor, DeSantis is skipping the Sept. 14 event to attend fundraisers for his presidential campaign in New York City and Buffalo.
Rating: 5