These wealthy megadonors are supporting DeSantis and RFK Jr. at the same time: report

12 July 2023

Supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign continue to hope that he will pull ahead of former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, but so far, that isn't happening. An Economist/YouGov poll released on July 12 shows DeSantis trailing Trump by 26 percent.

That poll is hardly an anomaly. A Fox News poll from late June found Trump with a 34 percent lead over DeSantis.

If Trump's status as the GOP primary frontrunner holds up, it is entirely possible the United States will see a rematch between Trump and Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden in 2024. But some affluent donors, according to Axios reporters Sophia Cai and Erin Doherty, are hoping to avoid that scenario by donating to DeSantis and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.— one of Biden's Democratic primary challengers — at the same time.

"It's tempting to see the moves by donors in banking, venture capital, hedge funds and tech as part of Republicans' push to move past former President Trump while making Biden's path to re-election more difficult," Cai and Doherty report in an article published on July 12. "But those behind the movement say it's driven by classic notions of liberty, lingering dissatisfaction with COVID-era restrictions — and yes, a sense of Trump-Biden fatigue in the donor class."

The donors who are giving money to both DeSantis and RFK Jr. include Omeed Malik (a former Bank of America executive) and Farvahar Partners co-founder Joe Voboril.

Voboril said of DeSantis and RFK Jr., "I think what's interesting about both of these candidates is they are a challenge not just to the other side, but within their own party."

Cai and Coherty note that Twitter CEO Elon Musk has also "shown an interest in DeSantis and Kennedy."

GOP strategist Alex Conant told Axios that people donating to DeSantis and RFK Jr. simultaneously are "kind of like the super-rich Joe Rogan crowd," adding, "Clearly, both candidates are trying to tap into that."

Axios' full report is available at this link.

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