Current:Home > StocksCharles H. Sloan-Nikki Haley nabs fundraiser from GOP donor who previously supported DeSantis: Sources -Streamline Finance
Charles H. Sloan-Nikki Haley nabs fundraiser from GOP donor who previously supported DeSantis: Sources
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-07 22:42:46
A top GOP donor who recently called himself a "significant supporter" of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is Charles H. Sloannow expected to host a fundraiser for Nikki Haley, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Investor Keith Rabois, a Florida-based venture capitalist and alum of the so-called "PayPal Mafia," is expected to host the fundraiser for Haley in Miami later this month, according to the sources.
The event was originally supposed to be held last night, but was postponed, sources said.
MORE: Window is closing for any surprise 2024 candidates, but they could still emerge
The $10,000-per-head fundraiser was billed as an "intimate private reception" hosted by Rabois and his husband Jacob Helberg, according to a copy of the invitation for last night's planned event that was obtained by ABC News.
A person familiar with Rabois and Helberg's thinking told ABC News that they are "very much on board" with Haley and "really like her."
Asked about the switch from DeSantis, the source said Rabois and Helberg are "like the American people: making up their minds as they go along."
The development comes as Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina governor, is increasingly seen as a rising star in the GOP presidential primary. The latest national polling average from 538 has her just six points behind Ron DeSantis, who was beating her by over 20 points just six months ago.
The fundraiser comes just three months after Rabois emphatically expressed support for DeSantis, stating at a Fortune conference in July, "I want to say very clearly that my husband and I are significant supporters of the governor and all his policies."
"We think what he's doing in Florida is the recipe that should be copied in every state -- period, without exception," Rabois said at the conference, according to a report at the time.
Rabois also expressed support for DeSantis' candidacy in the lead-up to DeSantis' presidential run, telling Fortune in September 2022 that he would be "excited" to see the governor in the White House and that he hoped DeSantis would use his "portfolio of issues" to contrast himself to others.
Despite the public praise, FEC records do not show that Rabois, as of last month, had contributed to DeSantis's presidential campaign. Records also show no donations by Rabois to the main super PAC supporting DeSantis, as of June this year. Neither did Rabois donate to DeSantis' gubernatorial campaign last election cycle.
News of the fundraiser comes after Citadel hedge fund founder and CEO Ken Griffin recently revealed that he plans to sit out the GOP presidential primary and not back DeSantis, whom he supported in 2022. Griffen had grown increasingly frustrated with how the Florida governor's early campaign was playing out and with waiting for DeSantis to show progress as a candidate, sources told ABC News.
Rabois has been a prolific GOP donor over the past decade, giving millions of dollars to numerous House and Senate Republicans. He has noticeably ramped up his political giving in the past couple election cycles, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to House Republicans.
MORE: What Nikki Haley has said about politicians' ages, trans issues, abortion and more
So far this year, he has given nearly $700,000 to Protect the House, the joint fundraising committee for House Republicans, led by now-ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Last year, he gave $860,000 to McCarthy's joint fundraising operation and the previous year, he gave nearly $772,000.
ABC News' Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.
veryGood! (92786)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Desperate Housewives Child Star Madison De La Garza Recalls Eating Disorder at Age 7
- These Survivor 44 Contestants Are Dating After Meeting on the Island
- Renewable energy is maligned by misinformation. It's a distraction, experts say
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- The strange underground economy of tree poaching
- A Below Deck Sailing Yacht Guest's Toilet Complaint Has Daisy Kelliher Embarrassed and Shocked
- Researchers can now explain how climate change is affecting your weather
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- From Acne to Eczema Flare Ups, This Is Why Stress Wreaks Havoc on Your Skin
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Sarah Ferguson Is Not Invited to King Charles III's Coronation
- Factual climate change reporting can influence Americans positively, but not for long
- Floating in a rubber dinghy, a filmmaker documents the Indus River's water woes
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- California lawmakers extend the life of the state's last nuclear power plant
- A fourth set of human remains is found at Lake Mead as the water level keeps dropping
- As a heat wave blankets much of the U.S., utilities are managing to keep up, for now
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Kerry Washington, LeBron James and More Send Messages to Jamie Foxx Amid Hospitalization
How people, pets and infrastructure can respond to extreme heat
Netflix Apologizes After Love Is Blind Live Reunion Is Delayed
Hidden Home Gems From Kohl's That Will Give Your Space a Stylish Refresh for Less
Why climate change may be driving more infectious diseases
Keeping Score On Climate: How We Measure Greenhouse Gases
Get Ready to Smile, RHOBH Fans: Dorit Kemsley Is Hosting a Homeless Not Toothless Gala