WASHINGTON – There can be no doubt that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump enjoys coming to the Tampa Bay area. So a little after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland comes to an end Trump will head south for a big fundraiser on Tuesday, July 26, in Tampa but the time as well as the location is yet be set.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, will serve as the host for the event and as you might expect there will be plenty of local GOP backers on hand meet Trump. Also, ready to right some big checks for the campaign.
Governor Rick Scott will also be in attendance, along with Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, St. Petersburg business man Bill Edwards, Tampa Bay area philanthropist Les Muma, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Chairman Robert Watkins, Outback Steakhouse founder Chris T. Sullivan, Port Tampa Bay Chairman Steve Swindal and developer Joe Williams.
No word if they will be serving a blooming onion at the affair.
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio got some good news this week as it seems his is raking in the cash.
The Florida First Project, a super PAC supporting Marco Rubio’s Senate re-election bid, reported $200,000 in contributions in June, according to campaign finance reports.
Half the amount came from Conservative Solutions PAC, a super PAC that backed Rubio’s failed presidential bid.
Both committees are led by Warren Tompkins, a South Carolina strategist. Also working for Florida First Project are Conservative Solutions adviser Mark Harris, former Rubio adviser Health Thompson, and Whit Ayers, a pollster for Rubio’s presidential campaign.
There is a problem for Rubio and that is he and Trump are not on the best of terms. Rubio has been openly skeptical about Trump’s fitness to serve as president but continues to support his election.
After announcing his re-election bid, Rubio attempted to put some distance between himself and Trump when he told CNN that he wouldn’t campaign in Florida with Trump and would reassess whether he’d attend the party’s national convention.
But every time Trump says something controversial, Rubio is likely to be questioned about whether he agrees, which risks alienating moderate voters, or whether he disagrees, which could anger Trump supporters.
Add to that the leading Democratic candidates to replace Rubio, along with political action committees and other interest groups, have unleashed a torrent of criticism aimed at the incumbent. They’ve signaled they’re willing to spend heavily in an attempt to defeat Rubio, hoping to ruin his prospects as a 2020 or 2024 presidential candidate.
