Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sets his sights on Hamptons fundraiser

Republican presidential primary contender and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is attending a fundraiser in Southampton, Long Island, on July 20, with tickets costing $3,300 per person.

New York Republican Party Chair Ed Cox said the party won’t be making any endorsements until the primary is over – as was his policy in 2016 – but that won’t keep him from going to campaign events for any of the candidates.

“I want to welcome all the candidates to come here to campaign and that excitement of a good primary here which could again be decisive about who our candidate would be,” he said in an interview with City & State.

He said he expects to be in New York at the time of the event, but likely not in the Hamptons, so he doesn’t currently plan to attend. If his calendar changes, though, he may show up.

“I will attend events by the candidates,” Cox said. “It doesn’t mean I’m supporting your candidate. I mean, obviously I’m going to have a lot of friends at the event, so I’d like to be there.”

City & State reached out to several New York Republicans in Congress and the New York City Council to see whether they’d be attending the DeSantis fundraiser. None immediately responded.

DeSantis has been on the hunt for dollars around the country

The Florida governor has been steadily seeking donations since declaring his run for GOP presidential nomination in a glitchy Twitter Space with Elon Musk on May 24. 

Most recently, the governor was in Wisconsin Tuesday for separate breakfast and luncheon fundraisers in Hartland and Lake Geneva respectively, according to WisPolitics.

On Wednesday, he was in Hamilton County, Indiana, for a luncheon fundraiser, “with another event in the Indy area likely,” the Indianapolis Star reported. 

But CNBC reported Wednesday afternoon that a “growing group of donors” who have supported him now are "worried about the trajectory of his campaign, even after he raked in $20 million since entering the race in May."

"Despite those big fundraising numbers and his entry into the race on a wave of hype, DeSantis is lagging well behind frontrunner Donald Trump in polls," the outlet added. Other supporters said it was too early in the race to worry about poll numbers. 

CNBC also reported that DeSantis is scheduled to attend a fundraiser later this month on Cape Cod in Massachusetts – not far from Martha's Vineyard, where his administration flew 49 migrants from Texas last September.