Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been directly lobbying GOP megadonor Ken Griffin to help fund a challenger to Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in the state’s 2026 governor’s race. But those entreaties have been rebuffed, leaving the term-limited governor scrambling to find a viable financial backer for a new candidate.
Donalds has already raised more than $30 million and has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Although Donalds and the Florida governor were once allies, the two fell out when Donalds broke with DeSantis and endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. As a result, DeSantis has been searching for a candidate he can get behind to be his successor.
On at least two occasions, DeSantis directly spoke with Griffin or his top political adviser about a range of issues, including putting their financial muscle behind a Donalds challenger.
The first conversation was during a private dinner in early June in Miami also attended by Cason Carter, who heads up public affairs for Griffin-run investment firm Citadel; Mori Housseini, a major Republican donor and chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees; and Manny Kadre, who chairs the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees, according to three people directly familiar with the event.
During that summer sitdown, DeSantis pitched the idea of finding a challenger to Donalds, who had been in the race in February. The governor was not focused on a specific candidate but more on the general idea that he needed to get together a financial strategy for taking on Donalds, according to the sources.
The second time came during a political fundraiser in Fishers Island, New York, where the governor was golfing with Carter, among others, and pitching him the idea of backing Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins for the top job, according to four sources familiar with the event.
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Though other candidates have been considered — including DeSantis’ wife, Casey — Collins is now seen as the most likely candidate to emerge with DeSantis’ backing, a sentiment bolstered this week when a political nonprofit called Florida Fighters funded nearly $1.1 million in TV ads focused on Collins’ service as a Green Beret. The ads also say that, as lieutenant governor, he is “fighting alongside Gov. 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 who was at the golfing event.
Despite the direct pleas from DeSantis, Griffin has not pledged to back any candidate during the 2026 governor’s race.
“Ken has not made any decision regarding the Florida governor’s race, and anyone suggesting otherwise is clearly misinformed,” said a person directly familiar with Griffin’s thinking.
A DeSantis spokeswoman did not return a request seeking comment.
Griffin was one of the largest donors to DeSantis’ 2022 re-election campaign but decided not to support his presidential bid in 2024, in part because he was turned off by the governor’s focus on culture wars.
The two have remained in contact but, so far, Griffin has expressed no interest in helping DeSantis with his project to try to derail Donalds’ campaign.
Collins, a former Florida state senator whom DeSantis appointed 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 bid. “I’ll have more information to share soonish.”
Furthering that speculation is the fact Collins has also played a more public-facing role in the DeSantis administration than is seen as traditional for a lieutenant governor, including doing several national media interviews.
Collins told reporters on Tuesday he did not know who funded the Florida Fighters ads but was “very grateful” to whomever did.
“I’m very grateful for whatever group that was that put those out there,” he said. “We are in this short, final part of wrapping up our decision, and I’m very grateful for that group. It’s very encouraging to see people believe in our message and our approach.”
Investor James Fishback told Politico last week that he was going to launch a run for governor on Monday, although he has not yet done so. Fishback has positioned himself as a pro-DeSantis candidate, and he has repeatedly attacked Donalds on social media.
NBC News reported last week that DeSantis’ political team has been in direct contact with Fishback, despite his team saying they have no involvement with him.
Fishback still says he plans to run, but he is now no longer saying when he will get in the race.
“I’ll be making an announcement soon,” Fishback posted on Monday, the day he originally said he was going to announce. “Stay tuned.”
