California Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent months jousting with his Florida counterpart, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising Republican star and potential future rival for the White House, swiping at DeSantis in a July 4 advertisement and boosting his opponent.
But as Newsom promises to make DeSantis a “one-term governor,” fundraising donation records show his in-laws working to keep the red state governor in office.
Listed among the hundreds of pages of donations to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC is a $5,000 contribution by the Siebel Family Revocable Trust on April 6, 2022.
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The trust is run by Kenneth and Judith Siebel, the parents of Newsom’s wife, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel, according to records obtained by Fox News.
Kenneth Siebel is a longtime Republican donor who has given to Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Tom Cotton (R-AK), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and others.
As an outspoken critic of Republican policies and leaders, Newsom drew charges of hypocrisy during a summer family vacation with the Siebels in Montana, a state that is on a list of prohibited places for official travel by California officials. A 2016 state law prohibits travel to 22 states that California deems as discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Newsom’s visit was a personal trip, but the optics sparked a backlash that was amplified by his recent attacks on prominent Republican leaders.
After airing a July 4 political advertisement in Florida criticizing DeSantis, Newsom announced a $100,000 donation to the governor’s opponent, Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor running for reelection as a Democrat.
And last month, Newsom slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over the state’s abortion ban in a series of newspaper ads.
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Newsom’s attention-grabbing moves have sparked questions about his political ambitions, with voters in California viewing him as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination in 2024 if Biden chooses not to run. He has repeatedly insisted that he has no intention of running for the White House. Like DeSantis, he is running for reelection in the fall.
