Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrates on stage at a 2022 U.S. midterm election night party in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 8, 2022.
Marco Bello | Reuters
Gov. Ron DeSantis has assembled a team of wealthy business leaders to help him raise money for his presidential campaign, according to a partial list of fundraisers provided by senior Republican political officials in Florida.
The bundled list, initially provided to CNBC, includes business leaders in industries ranging from real estate to finance.desantis set to announced his candidacy for president In a Twitter discussion with the social media platform owner on Wednesday night, tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The Bundlers will gather Wednesday through Friday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami. They will be briefed by campaign staff and run around calling to raise money for the campaign, NBC News reported. DeSantis is considered Donald Trump’s biggest rival in the Republican primary, though the former president has a commanding lead in recent polls.
DeSantis’ campaign bundle includes David Horowitz, chairman of the Horowitz Group, a California-based family office and real estate investment firm. Horowitz did not respond to a request for comment.
Horowitz had previously donated $25,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis’ Pro-DeSantis PAC, which has been renamed by new leadership as the Florida governor begins his bid for the White House. During the 2020 election, Horowitz contributed more than $35,000 to the Republican National Committee and at least $2,800 to Trump’s failed campaign, according to data from the nonpartisan website OpenSecrets.
Hal Lambert, founder of investment management firm Point Bridge Capital, is also on the list.
lambert’s company created Sleep ETFs, an exchange-traded fund promoted as a way for people to invest in companies that align with Republican political beliefs. According to his website, Lambert served on Trump’s inaugural committee and was the national treasurer for Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign.
“I certainly think hard money over $500,000 is very possible for me,” Lambert said in an email when asked how much he planned to raise for DeSantis. “I want to win in November, I don’t think Trump will win. If you look at the map, the states we need, he’s losing or has lost before,” he added later.
Lambert also made donations to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC and the Trump campaign, records show.
Jay Zeidman, managing partner of healthcare investment firm Altitude Ventures, is also listed as a DeSantis campaign fundraiser. Zaderman did not respond to a request for comment.
Zeidman had previously donated to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, according to OpenSecrets.New York Times Report Zeidman was a friend of Bush’s son, George P. Bush.
Frank Mermoud, president of Orpheus International, was also part of DeSantis’ tying team, according to a list provided to CNBC. He was also a supporter of Bush’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential primary campaign, records show.
Mehrmoud could not be reached for comment.
