A dormant political action committee recently received $2.5 million from two prominent GOP mega-donors to help finance a campaign to prevent suspended Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren from regaining his seat in the 2024 general election, political reporter William March revealed Tuesday (11/5) on WMNF WaveMakers.
The money came from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin and billionaire Las Vegas casino owner Miriam Adelson, said March. The money went to a political action committee that was formed in 2022 to oppose a Democratic candidate for state attorney in the Pinellas-Pasco circuit. The PAC then spent $500,000 on ads targeting Warren, who is seeking to oust interim State Attorney Suzy Lopez, appointed to the post by DeSantis after he suspended Warren. Although a federal judge found DeSantis violated Warren’s constitutional rights, he was not reinstated.
“We’ll probably see more spending after the election,” said March. The total amount spent will not become public until after the Nov. 5, he said. Already, the race is the most expensive state attorney election in Hillsborough County history, March said.
“It’s definitely a grudge match,” March said. “There’s a lot of stake for DeSantis.” March pointed out that DeSantis used the suspension of Warren and another state attorney in the Orlando area as a frequent talking point when he was running for president to show how he was cracking down on what he considers progressive prosecutors.
The Warren-Lopez contest is just one of many examples of how DeSantis has tried to influence the 2024 elections, including spending tax dollars on so-called public information ads targeting Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana, and Amendment 4, which would restore reproductive rights in Florida and overturn the state’s existing six-week abortion ban.
March pointed out that DeSantis is spending public money two years after signing a law that bans local governments from spending tax dollars to influence the outcome of local referendums.
A lot of pundits speculate that DeSantis has targeted Amendment 4 with an eye to running in the Iowa caucuses four years from now.
The wide-ranging interview with March also touched on voter turnout, the presidential, Senate and Congressional races as well as a few down-ballot local races and an interview with a spokeswoman for the pro-Amendment 3 campaign. Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
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