Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) has announced that two of President Donald Trump's top political advisors, Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, will be joining his campaign as he seeks to become Florida's next chief financial officer (CFO). Both LaCivita, Trump's co-campaign manager during his 2024 presidential campaign, and Fabrizio, who referred to Sen. Gruters as a "rockstar," will assume the role of senior strategists in his bid.
The announcement came just as Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) over Gruters as the state's new CFO. Gruters, on the other hand, was endorsed by Trump for the position back in June 2024.
“Joe is a rockstar who has earned the trust and support of President Trump,” Fabrizio said in a press release. “DeSantis learned the hard way that opposing President Trump in statewide Republican contests is a recipe for disaster. Appointing a Never-Trumper for CFO over Trump’s endorsed candidate will be viewed as a direct rebuke to the MAGA agenda and will end up just like DeSantis’ other anti-MAGA efforts.”
The political split could set up a proxy battle between DeSantis and Trump in the race, just as the two appeared to become good buddies again after a bitter rivalry during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
In another interesting twist, Ingoglia, a friend of DeSantis, once ran the governor's state political committee supporting his presidential campaign when he personally transferred $82.5 million into a federal Super PAC that opposed then-candidate Donald Trump.
While Inoglia had nothing to do with how the PAC used the funds, many were coordinated to attack Trump with television and digital ads, including AI-generated deepfakes that fabricated Trump's voice.
“The choice between a MAGA first patriot and a Never-Trumper is never really a choice,” LaCavita said, mentioning Ingoglia did not endorse Trump in both his 2016 and 2024 contested presidential primaries. “I’ve worked with Joe Gruters for years and can say that few have done more in Florida to advance the America First agenda. I fully support President Trump’s endorsed candidate for CFO and will work to defeat any posers that stand in our way.”
According to a recent survey by St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics, Sen. Gruters holds a resounding 50-point advantage over Ingoglia in the race for CFO. Gruters' lead is also notable when voters are made aware that Trump endorsed him in the race.
