Politics

Republican Candidates Flock To Trump’s Hometown Looking To Lure Donors Away

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Republican presidential hopefuls look to prominent GOP donors in New York City, former President Trump’s hometown, who are not yet committed to supporting any candidate, according to The New York Times.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are meeting with the city’s likely Republican donors, the NYT reported. These donors from Trump’s stomping ground are looking to place their money behind a Republican candidate, and are weighing their options as legal issues and Jan. 6 involvement against the former president continue to mount.

“No way does Trump have New York locked up,” Alfonse D’Amato, New York Republican lobbyist, told the NYT. “The more people see him, the worse he looks.”

Pence, who has not yet entered the 2024 GOP primary, travelled to the city last week to meet with donors, Haley, the second Republican to announce a bid for president in 2024, will attend a fundraiser Tuesday among top Wall Street officials, and Youngkin is meeting with donors and leaders on Wednesday.

“Where is the money? The money is in New York,” D’Amato told the NYT.

The former vice president met privately with possible donors, and has previously connected with GOP donors who favored the  Trump administration’s policies, according to the NYT.

Pence just held donor meetings in NYC. Haley is fundraising this week. And Youngkin, whose intentions for 2024 are still unclear, will be in NYC on Wednesday https://t.co/4IkfUZNaPZ

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 27, 2023

The executives hosting Haley’s campaign fundraiser include TPG partner Joseph Konzelmann and Barclays’ vice chair Gautam Chawla. Tickets to the event range from $3,300 to $6,600.

Youngkin, who has not made his presidential aspirations clear, will visit with several people, one of whom is John Catsimatidis, a former donor and acquaintance of Trump. Catsimatidis told the NYT it wasn’t a fundraising meeting, and is just so he can “know him better.”

Catsimatidis also previously met with Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State for the Trump Administration, who is considering a run for president, according to the NYT.

“I have advised him [Trump] that he should be telling people how good he is, and the good things he accomplished for our country versus how bad the other people are,” Catsimatidis told the NYT.

The Trump campaign did not immediately return the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.