Staff Reports
The presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, will make a stop in Massachusetts when he arrives Saturday in Cotuit for a fundraiser, according to an invitation to the event reviewed by the Times.
DeSantis, who trails former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, has had a contentious relationship with the Cape and Islands over the past year for his immigration policies.
On Friday Cape and Island District Attorney Robert Galibois announced plans to investigate the DeSantis-ordered drop-off of about 50 South American migrants at Martha’s Vineyard Airport in September. The Florida Governor chose Martha’s Vineyard because Massachusetts is perceived as a liberal-leaning state.
“l am aware that immigrants were tricked and fooled into boarding planes that ultimately landed in Martha’s Vineyard, a part of my jurisdiction,” Galibois said in a statement to the Times. “I believe this falls within my purview as District Attorney to investigate.”
Galibois said it is his obligation to investigate “any potentially criminal activity” that occurs within his jurisdiction but that some of the information he seeks to review as part of his investigation falls outside his jurisdiction. He supports a similar investigation in California but said for a “full and proper investigation to occur, the Department of Justice must be involved.” He offered his full cooperation in such a probe.
The private Cotuit fundraiser for DeSantis is organized by a host committee of 14 people, according to the invitation, and will begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Members of the committee include former U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas; Chris Egan, a businessman and former U.S. ambassador during the George W. Bush administration and Bain Capital co-founder Geoff Rehnert.
Tickets cost $3,300 for one person and $6,600 for a couple, according to the invitation.
Multiple employees of the DeSantis campaign were contacted by email about the fundraiser but did not respond as of Thursday. Several members of the host committee also did not immediately respond to requests for comment by phone and email.
Embattled campaign makes major shake-up
The Florida Governor has been revamping his strategy to take the presidency. Smaller-scale gatherings, like the one planned for Cotuit, will take center stage as DeSantis attempts to seem more personable, according to advisers.
Cost-cutting will also be getting top billing in the rebooted campaign, according to sources briefed on the plans. DeSantis had cut 38 positions from his campaign staff, slashing a third of the payroll. But to make up the gap with Trump, he’ll also have to find new sources of income — two-thirds of the money his campaign has raised so far comes from donors that have reached their legal limit and can’t donate again.
DeSantis is far behind Trump in terms of funds raised, with just over $20 million raised as of Tuesday, compared to Trump’s nearly $36 million, according to Federal Election Commission statistics.
He’s also got a long way to go to catch up here in Massachusetts: from February through June, DeSantis raised just $121,559 in the state, compared to Trump’s $381,954. The election commission database shows that President Joe Biden, by contrast, raised $789,535 toward his re-election bid in Massachusetts in the same span.
Among those fired from the DeSantis campaign staff in recent weeks was Nate Hochman, a speechwriter who came under fire last weekend for creating a campaign video that included an image of a sonnenrad, a popular Nazi symbol.
The Cotuit event comes off trips earlier in the week to Tennessee and Iowa, among other stops. On his way to an event in Knoxville, DeSantis’ car was involved in a crash. No injuries were reported.
DeSantis, Massachusetts clashes headlined by migrant flights
As Florida Governor, DeSantis has not always been chummy with legislators in Massachusetts. Recently, he signed into law a bill that would stop honoring certain driver’s licenses from states that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain them. Within the same week, Massachusetts did just that, though it did not make the Florida nonrecognition list because of the wording of the bill, according to the State House News Service.
Maura Healey has also gotten in on the gubernatorial beef: she said of DeSantis on Boston Public Radio in March that he “wants to take us backward” and his education policies were “really shameful, and it certainly does a disservice to the residents of Florida, ultimately.”
Migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard
But the main event, and the one closest to home for those on the Cape, came last September when DeSantis flew 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard unannounced.
The Sept. 14 flights were paid with $12 million the Florida Legislature appropriated to cover the cost of transporting migrants out of Florida if they are apprehended at the border and brought to the state.
A DeSantis spokesperson said then the migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard as part of the Governor’s “promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states.”
Democratic State Rep. Dylan Fernandes of Falmouth, who represents Martha’s Vineyard as well as Nantucket and Falmouth, said Tuesday that since then, he has worked with members of the Cape community to get those migrants settled and integrated here. He’s not surprised, though, that DeSantis is now coming to fundraise for his presidential campaign.
“Ron DeSantis is a coward, and he’s shameless, so it’s unsurprising that he’s back here with his hand out,” Fernandes said. “But it’s going to go to complete waste because America’s better than him. And we won’t elect him.”
___
Graham Krewinghaus reporting via the Cape Cod Times.
24 comments
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July 30, 2023 at 3:33 pm
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My Take
July 30, 2023 at 4:29 pm
I wonder what explains the presence of these ads.
?
TJC
July 30, 2023 at 5:31 pm
I do too. Sometimes comments are put on hold until they are cleared — I’ve had that a few times — but somehow these dubious ads get posted and stay posted, at least as far as I can tell.
Like your comments all the time, by the way.
My Take
July 30, 2023 at 6:28 pm
Thanks.
Interesting times.
Tom
July 31, 2023 at 7:51 am
They seem to have turned the capcha’s off again. Won’t be long now before the russians start with their online campaign supporting rhonda. I’d guess they were happy with his ‘territorial dispute’ comments. Fun times indeed.
Be Kind, Or Else
July 31, 2023 at 7:57 am
I’m ‘moderated’ & cleared on many of my anti-Qristian posts and can only imagine the compliance office at Florida Politics agrees.
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Dont Say FLA
July 30, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Stupid Rhonda could have chartered jets from all the college faculty departing Florida because of him and stayed out of trouble, but no, Rhonda is trying to out-Trump Trump which means going on a crime spree and earning dozens upon dozens of indictments.
LOL @ Stupid Rhonda, done punched himself in the face, again.
Texas is the Florida of ?
July 30, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Rhonda’s kidnaps flights were funded with $12 million the Florida Legislature appropriated to cover the cost of transporting migrants out of Florida, not Texas.
It’s time to send Rhonda to prison for misappropriation of funds and theft by conversion and kidnapping and conspiracy. Given the involvement of three states per kidnap flight incident, it’s obviously within federal jurisdiction.
Bye Feleciarhonda! Enjoy prison. Maybe you can room with Trump.
Villages Mafia
July 31, 2023 at 7:59 am
JillCasey & Ron have grifted from your DMV fees, your property taxes and your Federal income as they scrape from President Biden’s grants to the state.
Casino bosses.
My Take
July 30, 2023 at 4:23 pm
LOCK HIM UP !!
Duke Wayne
July 30, 2023 at 5:39 pm
Well, shucks, he’s got a wife and kids and all, but heck, a district attorney’s gotta do what a district attorney’s gotta do.
My Take
July 30, 2023 at 6:26 pm
Well, shucks, he’s got a wife and kids and all
=====
That’s what visitation times are for.
Dont Say FLA
July 30, 2023 at 8:13 pm
The kids are what orphanages are for, and the wife is what sport coats are for. If CaCa CaCa Casey will just keep her mouth shut, she can find herself a sport coat till her lil Chia Pet named Rhonda gets out of prison.
Earl Pitts "Most Loved Most Hated" American
July 30, 2023 at 6:36 pm
Good afternoon America,
This lawsuit will be dismissed. Massachusetts has no jurisdiction in this matter.
The imigrants were sent to Florida in error by Joe Biden and Florida was just sending them to their intended destination…not Florida’s problem….take your petty complaints and cry baby whining up with the Federal Govornment.
Thank you,
EPA
Dont Say FLA
July 30, 2023 at 7:35 pm
But dad these immigrants were never in Florida. That’s the rub. Ron used Florida money to charter a private jet to fly people from Texas to Massachusetts. Those are facts. Ron admits he did this. He did it under reportedly false pretenses which, if true, makes it kidnapping on top of however else it’s illegal, the very least of which seem like it would be misappropriation of Florida state treasury funds to pay for a $12 million stunt intended purely to benefit Ron’s political campaign. Ron didn’t do this for Florida. Florida did not benefit in any way. Ron’s actions spending Florida state money on the stunt are entirely indefensible. He could have had his Never Back Down PAC pay for his campaign stunt. That’s what PACs are for. Instead, Ron DeSantis chose to abuse his position as Governor of Florida and have Florida pay for it.
Dont Say FLA is Correct
July 30, 2023 at 10:45 pm
You’re absolutely right – TY
Unsurprisingly, you’re wrong
July 30, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Facts: the migrants were never sent to Florida but brought there for a couple of hours after being picked up in Texas by DeSantis’s hirelings, paid for of course by Florida taxpayers. So Mass. has as much right to bring the lawsuit as Fla. did to pick the migrants up from Texas!
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 7:48 am
Ron DeSantis brings illegal immigrants into Florida? Isn’t a big part of his campaign supposed to be about stopping illegal immigrants from coming to Florida? But Ron DeSantis charters private jets and flies illegal immigrants into Florida on private jets? What a lyin’ dip stick… Presents as “full” but there no oil in Ron’s engine at all.
Death Penalty for Human Trafficking
July 30, 2023 at 9:23 pm
He’s a human trafficker and per Republicans own beliefs, he belongs on death row.
My Take
July 30, 2023 at 11:11 pm
I wonder how much taller he’d be if he were hung.
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 7:51 am
If Rhonda was hung, they’d be the same height but might weigh an extra pound. But Rhonda definitely ain’t hung. “Tiny D” is written all over their forehead.
Tom
July 31, 2023 at 7:55 am
Not sure but if they gave him an emema, you could fit what was left of him in a shot glass.
Tom
July 31, 2023 at 8:07 am
I gather he’s trying to out-trump trump by getting indicted so his poll numbers and donations will go up. I’m just waiting for him to shoot someone on 5th avenue to see if he can get away with it.
Comments are closed.