Manchester, New Hampshire – Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appears to be helping the New Hampshire Republican Party make money.
New Hampshire Party Chairman Chris Ager told Fox News that Friday night’s Amos Tuck fundraising dinner, headlined by DeSantis, will bring in more than $250,000.
Ager said more than 500 people will be in the audience for the event, which will be held at a hotel in downtown Manchester, adding that “earlier this week we had to close ticket sales at 520”.
The trip is DeSantis’ first visit of this cycle to New Hampshire, the state that hosts the first primary and second overall contest on the Republican presidential nomination calendar. Florida’s popular conservative governor has suspended his work in Iowa (to hold caucuses to kick off the Republican Party schedule) and Nevada (to hold the fourth election) this year, and will move to the South next week. Visit Carolina (third vote).
FIRST ON FOX NEWS: DeSantis heads to New Hampshire
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addresses Iowa voters March 10, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
DeSantis remains on the sidelines in 2024, but plans to begin his presidential campaign after the Florida legislature closes next month. But behind the scenes, there’s already been a lot of movement towards the launch of the campaign, including beefing up staff in Tallahassee.
The Dinner is the state Republican Party’s largest annual fundraising gala. It is named after Amos Stack, who is believed to have founded the Republican Party in Exeter, New Hampshire in the 1850s. Exeter claims to be the cradle of the Republican Party, along with Ripon, Wisconsin, and Jackson, Michigan.
Who’s in and who’s on the sidelines — a guide to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race
“Ron DeSantis was the first to bring the failed ‘Florida Blueprint’ to our state,” Ray Buckley, longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman, said before stopping in Granite State. The reality is that the record DeSantis is proudly touting is the most extreme part of the MAGA agenda.”
The trip takes place during a busy few days for DeSantis. The Florida governor headlined his two Republican functions in Ohio on Thursday. On Friday, he will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia to deliver the keynote address at the Liberty University convocation before heading to New Hampshire. He will also be speaking remotely at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, this year.
But DeSantis has been told by former President Donald Trump’s allies and others that outside Florida, as major storms have caused severe flooding in Fort Lauderdale and other parts of Broward County in the southeastern corner of Sunshine State Monumental flooding has shut down the busy airport in Fort Lauderdale, which reopened Friday morning.
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DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Broward County on Thursday.