By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was concerned in a multi-car accident on Tuesday in Tennessee however was unhurt as he traveled in a motorcade to a marketing campaign cease for his 2024 presidential bid.
The chain response crash occurred earlier than 8:15 a.m. when site visitors slowed on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, inflicting 4 automobiles within the motorcade to hit each other, police stated. All the autos concerned within the crash have been authorities autos taking DeSantis and his group to his scheduled occasion, police stated.
The Republican White House hopeful was not harm, police and DeSantis marketing campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin stated. A feminine DeSantis employees member suffered a minor harm and was later handled on the marketing campaign occasion, police stated.
Representatives for DeSantis’ marketing campaign didn’t reply questions on who was driving the governor or reveal particulars in regards to the accident. DeSantis was persevering with on to his occasion, spokesperson Andrew Romeo stated. A spokesperson for the Florida governor’s workplace deferred questions in regards to the accident to the marketing campaign.
Florida regulation says the Florida Department of Law Enforcement should present safety for the governor and his speedy household. It can embody uniformed and nonuniformed officers.
DeSantis was scheduled to carry occasions all through central and jap Tennessee as he prioritizes Super Tuesday states in his campaigning. Super Tuesday, held on March 5 subsequent 12 months, is when the biggest variety of delegates are up for grabs of any day within the major cycle.
Earlier this month, DeSantis addressed greater than 1,800 attendees at a state GOP dinner in Nashville.
The Florida governor, who has trailed front-runner Donald Trump within the GOP presidential contest, was anticipated to be at a fundraiser at a personal residence in Chattanooga on Tuesday. Hosts for the fundraiser have been to pay $10,000 per couple for the occasion, whereas co-hosts have been paying $5,000 and different attendees have been paying $2,000 every, based on the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
DeSantis was anticipated to attend extra fundraisers on Tuesday in Knoxville and Franklin.
The Republican candidate has been attending a string of fundraisers currently as his marketing campaign has confronted some stunning monetary pressures. He was in Utah over the weekend holding fundraisers and in New York final week for an occasion within the Hamptons.
Just two months after getting into the race, DeSantis already has been slicing employees whereas going through new questions on his aggressive spending, his media technique and his obvious willingness to brawl with any and all foes apart from Trump, the one individual he should defeat to say the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.
“The DeSantis campaign is recalibrating. It’s clear it needs to,” stated Republican strategist Terry Sullivan, who managed Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign. “But at the end of the day, they’re still better positioned than any other challenger to Donald Trump, times 10.”
DeSantis’ group has quietly expressed confidence for months that voters would finally tire of Trump’s escalating authorized troubles and private baggage. But that baggage, enjoying out within the U.S. authorized system simply because the GOP major intensifies, is leaving valuable little oxygen for his rivals to interrupt by means of. And Trump’s standing with Republican major voters appears to be rising stronger with each new authorized problem.
Still, DeSantis’ group has raised a surprising $150 million for his presidential ambitions up to now. The overwhelming majority, $130 million, has gone to an excellent PAC run by allies who can not legally coordinate with the marketing campaign.
The DeSantis marketing campaign itself raised greater than $20 million within the first six weeks he was within the race, although lately launched federal filings revealed that he and his group had burned by means of greater than $8 million in a spending spree that included greater than 100 paid staffers, a big safety element and luxurious journey.
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This story has been corrected to indicate DeSantis was in Nashville earlier this month, not final week.
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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard in Houston and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s protection of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”