DEFECTOR

Key DeSantis Backer to Host Fundraiser for Rival Nikki Haley: Report

A donor who previously called himself a “significant supporter” of DeSantis is expected to host an “intimate private reception” on Haley’s behalf for $10,000 a guest.

A Florida-based entrepreneur who aligned himself with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is now set to host a fundraiser for Nikki Haley, according to a report by ABC News. Sources familiar with the matter told the network on Tuesday that the event hosted by Keith Rabois, a major GOP donor who has given millions of dollars to Republican congressional candidates, was billed as an “intimate private reception” at $10,000 per guest. The reception was previously set to be held on Monday evening, but was postponed, ABC News reported without further explanation. An insider close to Rabois and his husband Jacob Helberg said that the pair are “very much on board” with Haley. The apparent recalibration by Rabois comes just three months after he proclaimed at a conference that he and Helberg were “significant supporters” of DeSantis. “We think what he’s doing in Florida is the recipe that should be copied in every state—period, without exception,” Rabois reportedly said. Asked about the couple’s shifting loyalties, the insider told ABC they were “like the American people: making up their minds as they go along.”