Biggest DeSantis donor says no more funding unless major changes made to campaign

By Jen Krausz on
 August 6, 2023

Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, currently Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' largest presidential campaign donor, said he will not donate any more money to the campaign unless major changes are made.

Bigelow donated $20 million of the $130 million the pro-DeSantis "Never Back Down" super PAC has raised since March but now wants to see moderation in DeSantis's message.

"He does need to shift to get to moderates. He'll lose if he doesn't ... Extremism isn't going to get you elected," Bigelow said in an interview.

He said he told the campaign about his sentiments, including his unhappiness with the six-week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law in Florida after Bigelow's large donation.

For now, Bigelow said he would not be donating more money to the campaign.

"Not until I see that he's able to generate more on his own. I'm already too big a percentage," Bigelow said. "A lot of his donors are still on the fence."