From the State House to the White House

State Governors have risen from obscurity and captured the presidency recently. Georgia’s Jimmy Carter, California’s Ronald Reagan, Arkansas’ Bill Clinton, and Texas’ G.W. Bush went directly from a State House to the White House. Florida’s Ron DeSantis attempted it just this year, but was stymied by a lack of personality and charisma..

What didn’t stymie Ron was money. DeSantis had entered the presidential campaign with $82.5 million left over from his successful 2022 run for Governor. Political campaigns are expensive especially when you promise, as Ron did, to visit all 99 Iowa counties. That’s a lot of overpriced funnel cakes and elephant ears at a multitude of County Fairs.

With campaign funds running dry, Ron called on donors doing business with the state of Florida for donations. CDR Enterprises gave $1 million to Ron’s PAC and miraculously received $158 million in coronavirus response contracts (some of them no-bid) from Tallahassee. Herzog Railroad Services donated $250 K to another DeSantis PAC and, lo and behold, won the $35 million contract to build a commuter railroad in Orlando. Casino magnate, Jeffrey Soffer, gave $1 million in late July, on the same day that the campaign announced massive layoffs. DeSantis came out in support of Soffer’s controversial bid to transfer a casino license to his Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach a few weeks later.

Could gouging “campaign contributions” from firms doing business in your state be the secret to rising from a Governor’s Mansion to the White House?

It pains me to comment favorably on something that Donald Trump said. When he descended The Golden Escalator and announced his candidacy, Donnie said, “I’m very, very rich. I will pay for my campaign myself. I will not accept donations.” Of course, Donnie was lying. Trump sneakers or Trump Bibles, anyone?

But the concept is valid. Candidates should not be for sale.

By Ed Dufton