Having the money to fund your campaign is essential to running for office. Having taxpayer-salaried employees raising this money would seem to cross ethical lines. It apparently doesn’t bother Ron DeSantis.
, officials in DeSantis’ gubernatorial administration have been participating in efforts to convince high-profile Florida lobbyists to fork over campaign contributions.
Text messages between administration officials and lobbyists reviewed by NBC News show that both members of DeSantis’ office and individuals with leadership positions in various state agencies were pushing for contributions. “The bottom line is that the administration appears to be keeping tabs on who is giving, and are doing it using state staff,” one lobbyist told NBC News.
The timing of the fundraising blitz is critical, with Florida’s legislature still negotiating the state’s budget, and DeSantis enjoying veto power over line items. Lobbyists who spoke to NBC News said they fear a perceived lack of support for their campaign could jeopardize their projects with the state.
Using his government staff as campaign support isn’t the only decision raising eyebrows in the early days of the DeSantis campaign. The day after a disastrous,
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