U.S. Vice President Mike Pence takes a break while speaking during an Operation Warp Speed vaccination summit at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2020.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and other Republican leaders considered potential candidates for the GOP’s 2024 presidential run plan to attend a private donor meeting in Texas next week.
The donors’ meeting is being organized, at least in part, by Karl Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush and senior Republican strategist, according to several informed people, including those attending the meeting. People who refused to appear in this story did so to speak about a private matter.
The schedule lists Pence, Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., And Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Another potential candidate, Senator Tim Scott, RS.C., will also be in attendance after refuting President Joe Biden’s congressional address on Wednesday.
Remarkably, former President Donald Trump, who publicly and privately blew up Rove, is missing from the speech’s agenda.
The event, known as the Texas Victory Committee Donor Appreciation Conference, is scheduled for May 7th in Austin. This emerges from an agenda first received from CNBC. It is supposed to take place at the Omni Barton Creek Resort.
A Pompeo adviser told CNBC that the former foreign minister “will attend Karl Rove’s event and will chair the speakers.” Representatives of most of the other Republicans mentioned and supposed to be in this story did not respond to requests for comment.
It would be one of the first times some of the GOP’s top financiers hear of multiple candidates who could run for president on the Republican ticket against Biden in the next election.
Rove’s role in organizing the event suggests that the seasoned, deeply connected Republican strategist introduces these potential competitors to his Texas donor network.
Rove co-founded the Republican super-PAC American Crossroads, which raised over $ 80 million in the 2020 election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission. Data from the Center for Responsive Policy shows the PAC spent over $ 75 million on Democrats this cycle.
Cotton, DeSantis, Scott and Rubio are available for re-election to their respective offices in 2022, making the congregation even more important as they woo donors.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott, R-Fla., Is also scheduled to attend the donation event. An NRSC spokesman indicated that the focus of discussions would be on the upcoming midterm elections and the adoption of Biden’s agenda.
“Chairman Scott looks forward to joining Senator Cornyn in Texas next week to discuss our efforts to win back the Senate and fight the radical Democratic agenda,” NRSC spokesman Chris Hartline told CNBC Thursday .
Some of the potential candidates attending the Rove gathering were also recently in Florida during several donor retreats, including events held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort.
Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, is expected to be the first to welcome donors to the retreat. The itinerary states that Pompeo will be interviewed first. Pence is then interviewed, followed by others speaking in front of donors, including Rubio, DeSantis, Christie and Cotton.
