Ron DeSantis to attend fundraiser with Wall Street execs, including former Soros firm partner

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is coming to New York for a private presidential campaign fundraiser that’s set to be hosted by at least four Wall Street executives, including one with past ties to a firm backed by liberal billionaire George Soros, a frequent target of DeSantis and other Republicans.

The event is scheduled to take place June 29 at the swanky Yale Club, according to a copy of an invitation seen by CNBC. It will be one of DeSantis’ first fundraisers in the Big Apple since he officially launched his campaign for president last month.

It also comes soon after Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP primary, was indicted on dozens of counts in a state case in Manhattan and a federal case in Miami.

New York is a lucrative fundraising hotspot for both parties. Donors in the New York metro area contributed over $680 million to their preferred political candidates during the 2022 election cycle, according to data from the nonpartisan OpenSecrets.

The hosts listed on the DeSantis invitation include Paul Ardire, a partner at GoldenTree Asset Management, along with Christian Michalik, Rob Michalik and Corwynne Carruthers, who are all leaders at Kinderhook Industries, a private equity firm with at least $5 billion in assets under management, according to data from PitchBook. GoldenTree has at least $50 billion in assets under management, PitchBook says.

Shortly after publication of this story, Ardire called CNBC to say that he was added to the gathering’s host list by “mistake.” CNBC saw two different invitations to the event showing listing him as a co-host.

“I think it was a misunderstanding,” Ardire said. “I said, ‘I might be able to come to the event,’” he added. Ardire said he’s not going to the event…