Magic Donate to Ron DeSantis Presidential Campaign; Why 'Odd'?
ORLANDO - Florida governor Ron DeSantis has eyes on the White House and the Orlando Magic is playing a small role in making that possible.
According to SFGate politics editor Alex Shultz, the Magic is listed as a donor of $50,000 towards Never Back Down Inc., which is DeSantis' campaign.
Shultz is also reporting that this donation could possibly be one of the largest of its kind from an NBA franchise to a presidential campaign.
"Team owners dumping money on presidential candidates (especially conservatives) is not new; in this case, it's very odd that, when given the opportunity, the organization isn't distancing itself from the DeSantis donation," Shultz said.
In fact, however - regardless of one's political views - the connection to DeSantis comes as no surprise, for two reasons: One, he has governed the state of Florida since 2019. And two, the Magic donation decision was likely driven by team governor Dan DeVos, whose family has been directly involved with the Republican party. His sister-in-law, Betsy DeVos, served as the U.S. Secretary of Education in President Trump's administration.
Shultz asked further details about the donation but received a "no comment" from Never Back Down Inc.
DeSantis is one of a handful of candidates vying to become the Republican Party's nominee for the 2024 re-election against incumbent Democratic president Joe Biden.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.
Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.
Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.
Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
