With Ron DeSantis stalling in the Republican presidential primary, some wealthy donors who’d hoped he could beat Donald Trump are now giving Tim Scott a serious look.
Billionaire businessman Ronald Lauder, the Est?e Lauder makeup heir who supported Trump in 2020, recently flew to South Carolina to meet with Scott, the state’s junior senator and longshot presidential candidate, according to three people aware of the late June meeting.
The meeting comes amid widespread angst among wealthy GOP backers about the emerging 2024 field, and DeSantis’ bumpy start in particular. Many high-dollar donors in Trump’s native New York City have tired of the former president and worry about his general election chances. But they say their faith in the Florida governor has been shaken by early campaign missteps and his hardline positions on abortion, transgender rights and other culture-war issues. They fear time is running out for anyone else to break through.
Now, several donors are starting to more seriously mull backing Scott — a more traditional Republican alternative to the populist and combative Trump and DeSantis.
During their nearly hourlong discussion at a restaurant in Daniel Island, just outside Charleston, Lauder and Scott discussed what the senator sees as his path to victory. The two have spoken since their initial meeting, including in recent days, according to a person familiar with the conversation.
Lauder, who declined to comment on the meeting, plans to get together with Scott again as he decides whether to cut him a check, one of the three people confirmed. He’s also interested in speaking with other candidates, the person said.
Lauder’s surveying of the field appears sparked by his souring on DeSantis. He had donated $200,000 to DeSantis’ initial gubernatorial run in 2018 and $10,000 to a super PAC supporting his reelection last year. And DeSantis visited him several months ago to pitch his candidacy, as POLITICO previously reported.
The cosmetics tycoon is not alone in the shift.
Billionaire businessman Ronald Lauder recently flew to South Carolina to meet with Scott, according to three people aware of the late June meeting.
