(NationRise.com) – Robert Bigelow, a megadonor for the Republican Party and the single largest contributor to the presidential campaign of Ron DeSantis, suddenly switched his allegiance after endorsing former President Donald Trump.
The Bigelow Aerospace founder gave $20 million to Never Back Down, a political action committee supporting DeSantis, in March. However, five months later, he stopped donating to the DeSantis campaign until it significantly alters its strategy to attract more supporters. During a recent interview, he clearly labeled himself as “pro-Trump.”
However, Bigelow also said that he will not begin donating to Trump’s campaign until he sees whether the former president will be convicted. Trump is currently facing a litany of financial fraud charges, which Bigelow believes are “politically motivated.” However, the megadonor did say that he would donate to Trump’s campaign if he is convicted but only faces probation.
Trump’s legal team has also accused both the attorney general and the judge’s team of political bias. Alina Habba, one of his attorneys, is calling for a mistrial.
Bigelow’s shift follows another Republican megadonor who pulled his support for DeSantis: Ken Griffin, CEO of global hedge fund Citadel. Griffin had previously donated $5 million to DeSantis. He has not yet announced who he will support, saying that he wants to “assess the field.”
The DeSantis campaign rushed to inform its remaining donors of the strategy it will use to regain support. That strategy includes focusing more on states holding their primary elections earlier and less on “Super Tuesday” states.
DeSantis has been polling far behind Trump since election season began. He has also started trailing Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, in some polls. Trump even has a 39-point lead in Florida, where DeSantis currently serves as governor. That lead has grown in recent months. Those numbers come despite a majority of Floridians holding a positive view of DeSantis. Several members of the delegation of Florida also continue to support Trump over DeSantis.
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