Ron DeSantis is ‘forced to pull out of a $25,0000-a-head fundraiser’ for New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin over an ‘unforeseen tragedy’
- DeSantis was meant to appear with Zeldin at an event on Long Island Sunday
- Zeldin’s office said he had to pull out because of an ‘unforeseen tragedy’
- They did not elaborate on details, but said DeSantis would reschedule
- The Florida governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, was previously diagnosed with breast cancer but was declared cancer-free this past March
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pulled out of a $25,000-a-plate fundraiser for New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin on Sunday because of an ‘unforeseen tragedy’, according to reports.
Zeldin spokeswoman Katie Vincentz told the New York Post: ‘An unforeseen tragedy forced Governor DeSantis to reschedule his trip to New York. While we’re rescheduling with Governor DeSantis for a later date, tonight’s fundraiser will proceed and is expected to raise almost a million dollars’.
She did not elaborate on the details ahead of the event in Oyster Bay on Long Island.
DailyMail.com has reached out to both Zeldin’s and DeSantis’ offices for comment.
It’s not yet clear what the ‘tragedy’ is about. The Florida governor’s family was wracked by trauma last year when it was announced his wife, Casey DeSantis, had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was declared to be cancer-free in March of this year.
Zeldin is taking on New York’s incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in the November general election and has the backing of Donald Trump.
His campaign made headlines last month when a man walked on stage during one of Zeldin’s events with supporters and tried to stab him. Zeldin was unhurt and his attacker was arrested.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pulled out of a $25,000-a-plate fundraiser for New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin on Sunday because of an ‘unforeseen tragedy’, according to reports
Hochul, meanwhile, has upped her attacks on Republicans and told some to ‘go back to Florida’.
She also attacked DeSantis at an event marking the Holocaust by saying: ‘I just want to say to the 1.77 million Jews who call New York home: Thank you for calling New York home. Don’t go anywhere or to another state. Florida is overrated.’
New York is one of the Democrat states actively protecting abortion rights ahead of the crucial midterms.
Zeldin is a House Republican who is running to unseat Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul
DeSantis learned last week he would be facing Democratic House Rep. Charlie Crist in November.
Voters last week chose Crist, who was a registered Republican when he previously served one term as Florida governor more than a decade ago, over the state’s progressive and outspoken Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
Crist has blasted DeSantis as a ‘wannabe dictator’ and an ‘extremist,’ and on election night told supporters that the governor ‘only cares about the White House. He doesn’t care about your house.’
The Republican who has quickly become one of the stars of his party is being heavily touted to run for president in 2024.
He’s side-stepped questions on his White House ambitions in the past, and in recent interviews he has insisted his focus is on beating Crist later this year.
But that hasn’t stopped DeSantis from wielding his considerable influence in primary elections across the country in recent months.
He recently finished headlining a series of rallies, called ‘Unite and Win’ and held by Turning Point Action, on behalf of GOP candidates in several key swing states.
That includes appearances in Arizona with gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters; stumping for JD Vance’s Senate campaign in Ohio; speaking alongside Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano; and campaigning for GOP candidates in New Mexico.
In his own race against Crist, DeSantis is going in with a significantly bigger war chest.
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