Despite Ron DeSantis’ lobbying, megadonor Ken Griffin stays on the sidelines in Florida governor’s race

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directly lobbied Republican megadonor Ken Griffin to help fund a challenger to Republican Byron Donalds in the state’s gubernatorial race in 2026. But those requests were rebuffed, leaving the term-limited governor scrambling to find a viable backer for a new candidate.

Donalds has already raised more than $30 million and has the support of President Donald Trump. Although Donalds and the Florida governor were once allies, the two fell out when Donalds broke with DeSantis and supported Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. As a result, DeSantis is looking for a candidate he could support to succeed him.

On at least two occasions, DeSantis spoke directly with Griffin or his top political adviser on a range of issues, including putting his financial muscle behind a challenger to Donald.

The first conversation took place at a private dinner in early June in Miami, also attended by Cason Carter, head of public affairs for the Griffin-led investment firm, Citadel; Mori Housseini, a major Republican donor and chairman of the University of Florida Board of Trustees; and Manny Kadre, who chairs the University of Miami Board of Trustees, according to three people directly familiar with the event.

During that summer session, DeSantis floated the idea of ​​finding a challenger to Donalds, who had entered the race in February. The governor did not focus on any particular candidate but rather on the general idea that he needed to develop a financial strategy to take on Donalds, according to the sources.

The second time was at a political fundraiser in Fishers Island, New York, where the governor played golf with Carter, among others, and pitched him the idea of ​​supporting Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins for the top job, according to four sources familiar with the event.

Although other candidates have been considered — including DeSantis’ wife, Casey — Collins is now seen as the candidate most likely to emerge with DeSantis’ support, a sentiment reinforced this week when a political nonprofit called Florida Fighters funded nearly $1.1 million in television ads focused on Collins’ service as a Green Beret. The ads also state that as lieutenant governor, he “fights alongside Governor Ron DeSantis to keep Florida free.” The group is not required to disclose its donors.

DeSantis “kept talking about his resume and his background, stuff like that,” said one person at the golf event.

Despite direct appeals from DeSantis, Griffin has not committed to supporting any candidate in the 2026 governor’s race.

“Ken has made no decision regarding the Florida gubernatorial race, and anyone suggesting otherwise is clearly misinformed,” said a person directly familiar with Griffin’s thinking.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.

Griffin was one of the biggest donors to DeSantis’ 2022 re-election campaign but decided not to support his 2024 presidential bid, in part because he was put off by the governor’s focus on the culture wars.

The two have remained in contact but, so far, Griffin has expressed no interest in helping DeSantis with his plan to try to derail Donald’s campaign.

Collins, a former Florida state senator whom DeSantis named lieutenant governor in August, has not announced his explicit intention to run for governor, but he has openly flirted with the idea.

“Stay tuned,” Collins said on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show last month when asked about a potential offer. “I will have more information to share soon.”

Adding to this speculation is the fact that Collins has also taken a more public role in the DeSantis administration than is considered traditional for a lieutenant governor, including conducting several interviews with national media.

Collins told reporters Tuesday that he didn’t know who paid for the Florida Fighters ads, but was “very grateful” to whoever did.

“I’m very grateful to the group that put this information out there,” he said. “We’re in this short, final stretch of wrapping up our decision, and I’m very grateful to this group. It’s very encouraging to see people believe in our message and our approach.”

Investor James Fishback told Politico last week that he would launch his gubernatorial bid on Monday, although he has not yet done so. Fishback has positioned himself as a pro-DeSantis candidate and he has attacked Donalds multiple times on social media.

NBC News reported last week that DeSantis’ political team had been in direct contact with Fishback, although his team said it had no involvement with him.

Fishback still says he plans to run, but he’s no longer saying when he’ll run the race.

“I will make an announcement soon,” Fishback posted on Monday, the day he initially said he was going to announce it. “Stay tuned.”