To gain an early financial advantage over Donald Trump, several top Republican donors have entered the presidential race by supporting candidates who are challenging the former president for the party’s nomination. This comes as Trump faces legal issues that are depleting his funds.
According to the latest federal campaign finance disclosures, which cover the first half of the year, outside spending groups backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis received a $20 million donation from Nevada real estate investor Robert Bigelow and $2 million from Douglas Leone, the global managing partner at venture capital company Sequoia.
Additionally, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, conservative packaging executives from Wisconsin, contributed a total of $2 million to support DeSantis’s campaign.
Top Republican donors have started supporting candidates who are challenging Donald Trump for the party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential race. Richard Uihlein, a former Trump donor, has donated $2 million to support Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.
Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, has contributed $5 million to Nikki Haley’s campaign. Other donors, including Stanley Druckenmiller, Jeff Yass, Harlan Crow, and Anthony Scaramucci, have also made smaller contributions to support Chris Christie. This early financial support will help these candidates build their campaign funds and compete against Trump, who currently leads in national Republican polls.