Good evening,
Welcome back to The Washington Mall, my newish private email focused on what’s really going on in D.C.—on the Hill, in the White House, on K Street, and among the media organizations covering it all. As a reminder, this email is for Puck subscribers only. Sign up here if you haven’t already.
Washington has been described, as one recent transplant put it, as “LinkedIn, but in real life.” Of course, the real inside story of this town is richer and more complex than the rabid superficial networking that is D.C.’s one true pastime. Indeed, this newsletter is designed to help illuminate what all of those new connections, alliances, job announcements and “likes” really mean. More often than not, the explanations turn on the permanent donor class that makes life in the swamp possible.
To help make sense of it all, I often compare notes with my Puck partner Teddy Schleifer, who covers the intersection of tech money and politics from Silicon Valley. (Sign up here to add his must-read email, The Stratosphere, to your inbox.) This time, I’d figured I’d let you listen in on our most recent conversation, wherein we discuss donor malaise with Ron DeSantis and the shiny new object nipping at A.O.C.’s heels. What do mega-donors really think about Tim Scott and Tom Cotton’s‘24 chances, and is No Labels, a organization beloved by Wall Street, doing more harm than good?
Thanks again for reading! As always, you can share your feedback (or tips) by hitting “reply” to this email.
Tara
P.S. As a reminder, you’re receiving the free version of The Washington Mall at . For full access to Puck, and to each of my colleagues, click to subscribe here.
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Tara Palmeri: Teddy, I was fascinated by your report on Ron DeSantis’s donor network out in the Bay Area. He’s already received support from guys like Elon Musk and Joe Lonsdale. But at the end of your piece, you write that while donors are clearly excited about a potential DeSantis presidential run, some donors seem to be growing tired of him, too. What’s the dynamic there?
Teddy Schleifer: I don’t want to say this is quite a Shakeperean tale of unrequited love, but it does feel, at least for the moment, that the G.O.P. donor establishment loves DeSantis more than DeSantis loves them. But hey, every romance has imbalances from time to time, and the governor could do a better job of glad-handing and back-slapping. It came up in nearly every conversation for my piece. It’s not that there is some fundamental fissure between DeSantis and big donors per se—it’s just that DeSantis is universally described as a somewhat awkward guy, without the Bill Clinton charm or social graces. The good news is that he can work on that, no? Obviously it matters not just for donors, but for, you know, voters too... |