Robert Bigelow, founding father of Bigelow Aerospace at Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Jodi Gralnick | CNBC
Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, the largest individual donor to a bunch supporting Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, told Reuters on Friday he is not going to donate extra money unless the Florida governor attracts recent major donors and adopts a more moderate approach.
The comments by Bigelow, who gave $20 million to the pro-DeSantis “Never Back Down” super PAC in March, underscore donor concerns concerning the Florida governor’s struggling campaign, which has been unable to make a dent in former President Donald Trump’s huge lead for the 2024 Republican nomination.
“He does must shift to get to moderates. He’ll lose if he doesn’t … Extremism is not going to get you elected,” Bigelow said in an interview, adding that he had communicated these concerns to DeSantis’ campaign.
When asked which specific policies Bigelow didn’t support, Bigelow cited only DeSantis signing in April a bill passed by the Florida legislature banning abortions after six weeks, a move that got here after Bigelow had donated the $20 million.
Bigelow said he wouldn’t donate extra money for now. “Not until I see that he’s capable of generate more on his own. I’m already too big a percentage,” Bigelow said. “Lots of his donors are still on the fence.”
Bigelow, the founding father of Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, said he wasn’t waiting for an actual fundraising figure, but that “it may be lots.”
In an announcement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign, Bryan Griffin, said they were “grateful” to supporters and donors who gave them “the capability to compete for the long haul,” without addressing Bigelow directly.
Bigelow’s comments will likely stoke perceptions that DeSantis, once a donor darling expected to place up an actual fight against Trump, is in a downward spiral as his right-wing social policies and wood personality fail to excite voters.
DeSantis has been running to the suitable of Trump despite many Republican strategists saying he should as an alternative be attempting to court moderates concerned about Trump’s policies and electability.
A source acquainted with the governor’s strategy told Reuters that “donors don’t set policy for the governor, and so they never will.”
Never Back Down didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Bigelow sticking with Desantis
Although DeSantis has attracted big donors desperate for a Trump alternative, Bigelow stands out. After him, the second-biggest individual donor to Never Back Down is enterprise capitalist Douglas Leone, who gave $2 million, in response to campaign filings – a tenth of what Bigelow contributed.
DeSantis’ campaign funds have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after his campaign said it had let go 38 employees, or over one-third of staff. The campaign had a high money burn rate and many of the money raised got here from donors who had contributed the utmost legal amount, suggesting more financial tensions ahead.
To make sure, DeSantis’ campaign and Never Back Down had a combined $109 million within the bank at the tip of June, well above the combined $53 million of Trump’s campaign and his allied super PAC, generally known as MAGA Inc, in response to financial disclosures to the Federal Elections Commission.
As DeSantis’ campaign struggles, nonetheless, he has been relying more on Never Back Down, which as an excellent PAC can raise and spend unlimited sums supporting him so long as it doesn’t coordinate spending along with his campaign.
Bigelow said he stays behind DeSantis. “I believe he’s the perfect guy for the country.”
However the hotelier was incensed by the bill banning abortions after six weeks, saying that was too early and that many ladies don’t even know they’re pregnant at that stage.
The abortion restrictions have rattled other donors. Metals magnate and Republican donor Andy Sabin, for instance, soured on DeSantis and threw his support behind Senator Tim Scott partly because of the abortion issue.
Bigelow said he agreed with most of DeSantis’ policies, nonetheless, and that he was “spot on” in his war on “wokeism.” “Woke” is a term utilized in a derogatory way by conservatives to criticize progressive policies, often linked to problems with identity in education and the workplace.
After a glitch-filled launch on Twitter in May, DeSantis has struggled to catch fire with voters amid organizational problems, viral videos of awkward interactions with the general public, and relentless attacks by Trump.
The newest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed he had slumped to 13% of support amongst Republicans against 47% for Trump.
Bigelow said he had told DeSantis’ campaign manager Generra Peck that DeSantis needed to be more moderate to have a likelihood.
Asked how Peck reacted, Bigelow said, laughing: “There was an extended period of silence where I assumed perhaps she had passed out.”
“But I believe she took all of it in,” Bigelow added, describing Peck as a “superb campaign manager.”
DeSantis’ campaign didn’t reply to queries about Peck and Bigelow.
