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EXCLUSIVE: Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a vocal critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in recent weeks, but Newsom’s in-laws seem to approve of the popular Republican.
According to contribution records on the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC website, the Siebel Family Revocable Trust made a $5,000 contribution on April 6, 2022.
That trust is run by Kenneth F. Siebel Jr. and Judith A. Siebel, the parents of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel, records obtained by Fox News Digital show.
Neither the Siebels nor Gov. Newsom’s office immediately responded to Fox News’ requests for comment. The DeSantis campaign declined to comment.
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Newsom’s father-in-law Kenneth Siebel has a long history of making donations to GOP candidates, according to Federal Election Commission filings. His most recent donations include contributions to the campaigns of Republicans Sens. Ron Johnson, Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley.
The father-in-law of Democratic California Gavin Newsom made a donation to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC under the family trust, records show. (Getty Images)
Both Newsom and DeSantis are among the top names being floated as potential 2024 contenders in their respective parties, particularly if President Biden and former President Trump choose to sit out in the next presidential cycle.
Newsom drew national attention in July for airing an ad in Florida, telling residents that “freedom is under attack” in the Sunshine State and urging them to move to California “where we still believe in freedom.”
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DeSantis responded by slamming Newsom’s “terrible governance,” mocking how he now sees “a lot” of California license plates in his state, adding “if you go to California, you ain’t seeing very many Florida license plates.”
Last week, Newsom pledged $100,000 to the campaign of DeSantis’ Democratic opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist, who previously served as Florida’s governor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican speaks to the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022. (Sarah Freeman/Fox News)
A recent Berkeley IGS Polls survey showed that 61% Californians, including 46% of Democrats, did not want President Biden to seek a second term and that Newsom and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., topped the list among registered Democrats as the potential 2024 nominee.
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Newsom was also deemed by conservatives as the Democrat most difficult to defeat in 2024 according to a straw poll conducted at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit.
The California governor raised eyebrows for his July visit to the White House as President Biden was away on an overseas trip with critics joking he was “measuring the drapes.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) talks with reporters after a meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the U.S. Capitol, on Friday, July 15, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, DeSantis has similarly be highly buzzed among Republicans as a potential standard bearer in 2024 as the country awaits whether Trump will seek a return to the White House.
Both Trump and DeSantis performed the best in CPAC’s straw poll over the weekend which showed the former president earning a whopping 69% of support among attendees while the Florida governor received 24% support. All other Republicans polled in the single digits.
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In a hypothetical primary without the former president, DeSantis topped the straw poll with 65%. Placing second was Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., with 8% backing, followed by Cruz with 6% and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with 5%. No one else topped 2% on the second ballot question.
Notably, DeSantis edged out Trump in a New Hampshire poll conducted in June with 39% of GOP primary voters backing the governor versus the 37% who support the former president. However, the recent FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago has left some political pundits to believe that it will ultimately benefit Trump among the base.
Fox News’ Matt Wall and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.