Meet DeSantis’ High Rollers
Florida’s incumbent governor raised more than two and-a-half times the amount raised by challenger Charlie Crist.
By Joe Olivieri
When it comes to winning elections, raising the most money does not necessarily guarantee victory. That being said, having the biggest bankroll can certainly help those candidates that are in the running.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has a much larger piggy bank than his opponent, Democrat Charlie Crist. Since the start of this year, DeSantis has raised over $33.6 million in funds compared to Crist’s $13 million. But the separation between the two can really be seen when comparing their respective committees.
When it comes to winning elections, raising the most money does not necessarily guarantee victory. That being said, having the biggest bankroll can certainly help those candidates that are in the running.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has a much larger piggy bank than his opponent, Democrat Charlie Crist. Since the start of this year, DeSantis has raised over $33.6 million in funds compared to Crist’s $13 million. But the separation between the two can really be seen when comparing their respective committees.
These committees allow for donations to help candidates with no limit as to how much one can give. They are created by campaigns because the state of Florida caps direct donations directly to gubernatorial candidates at $3,000.
When accessing the Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Database, one can see just how much these committees are raking in and who is contributing to them.
DeSantis’ “Friends of DeSantis” committee has raised over $149.7 million with $85 million being donated since the start of this year. In comparison, Crist’s “Friends of Charlie Crist” has raised just $12.9 million with $9 million of that coming since the start of the year.
So, who is lining DeSantis’ pockets? Various conservative and Republican groups have donated to his committee, as well as a few wealthy individuals and even the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
One of those wealthy individuals is Walter W. Buckley Jr. Last November, Buckley wrote a check out to Friends of DeSantis for $500,000. This May, Buckley wrote out another check also for $500,000.
Buckley, from Bethlehem, PA, ran a money management business called Buckley Meuthing Capital Management. The company has been very active this election cycle with its members donating over $15.4 million to candidates, mostly Republicans. According to Open Secrets, a website that tracks political donations, that amount is the 23rd most among organizations this cycle.
Kenneth C. Griffin is another generous donor to Friends of DeSantis. In April 2021, Griffin gave a check to the committee for $5 million.
Griffin grew up in Boca Raton and founded Citadel LLC in 1990. This has resulted in Griffin amassing a net worth of $29.5 billion according to Bloomberg, making his $5 million donation a drop in the bucket.
Griffin is quite active in the political sphere. In addition to contributing to DeSantis’ committee, Griffin has donated millions this election cycle to conservative SuperPACs and congressional candidates across the country including Herschel Walker and Dan Crenshaw.
In a 2012 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Griffin said that he believed the rich had “insufficient influence” on the political process and that there should be no limit on an individual’s donations to political candidates as long as they were to be reported transparently.
Robert Bigelow is another one of DeSantis’ big spenders. This past July, Bigelow wrote a check to Friends of DeSantis for a whopping $10 million, the largest donation the committee has received to this point.
Bigelow owns the hotel chain Budget Suites of America and has an estimated net worth of $1 billion. Bigelow is also the founder of Bigelow Aerospace, which specializes in expandable space station modules.
Like Griffin, Bigelow has spread his wealth to republican causes this election cycle. He has made donations to Republican Congressional candidate April Becker in his home state of Nevada, US Representative Kat Cammack from Florida, as well as the Republican Party of California and a $2 million donation to the Club for Growth Action.
While the race for Florida’s governor is far from over, the massive fundraising effort from DeSantis has seemed to be effective. In the most recent poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, DeSantis leads Crist by 14 percentage points, 55%-41%. Other polls, such as the one conducted by Florida Atlantic University, estimate 10 to 11%.
Republicans are determined to regain their footing after a disappointing 2020 showing and it’s clear that donors like Buckley, Griffin, and Bigelow are willing to back up the Brink’s truck in order to achieve it.
