Several top contenders for the GOP presidential primary are ramping up fundraising efforts as prospective candidates seek to lure big donors in a series of campaign events later this week.
Former President Donald Trump is planning to host a fundraising dinner for some of his top donors at his Mar-a-Lago home on Thursday, marking his first fundraiser of the 2024 cycle.
Just one day later, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is set to hold his own fundraising event. He will meet with donors during a three-day retreat at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach on Friday.
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Trump’s event will be geared toward raising money for his MAGA Inc. super PAC, which was first created late last year ahead of the midterm elections as a final push for several of the former president’s favored candidates. Now, the PAC is focused on reelecting Trump to the White House, and it has a sturdy war chest to lean on.
DeSantis, for the most part, seems unshaken. During his event Friday, DeSantis is expected to address several donors and other supporters to tout his reelection performance in 2022, as well as key tenets of his agenda, according to Politico.
The competing events show an intensifying battle between Trump and DeSantis for the GOP nomination, particularly as the Florida governor is expected to meet with several donors who once backed the former president. DeSantis has not yet declared his intent to run for president, but he is expected to do so in the coming months.
Meanwhile, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove is scheduled to host a slew of other likely candidates at a donor conference in Austin, Texas, on Friday. That conference will give contenders, such as former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, a chance to secure top donors as they vie for the White House.
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“I think they’re like a lot of people,” Rove told Politico, referring to the donors who will attend the conference. “They might have someone who’s sort of a preliminary favorite, but they’re looking, and they want to see how they will perform.”
Only Trump and Haley have launched presidential bids for the White House so far, but the GOP field is expected to grow increasingly crowded in the coming months.