Investor hosting DeSantis fundraiser in San Francisco fires back after interviewer calls the Florida governor 'divisive'

Tech investor David Sacks, who is planning to host a fundraiser for conservative Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis later this month in deep blue San Francisco, pushed back after Bloomberg's Emily Chang asked why he would back "such a divisive candidate."

"Why is he inherently more divisive than say, [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom," or a person at the other end of the spectrum, Sacks queried.

He added that he would contend, "words like polarizing and divisiveness, they, they assume a normative baseline in which everybody agrees, everyone in the tech industry agrees because they all come from a certain information bubble, and anyone who deviates from that orthodoxy is perceived as divisive."

Sacks further argued that "you're not divisive just because you don't agree with the orthodoxy of Silicon Valley."

Chang responded by asking Sacks why he is backing DeSantis with a fundraiser over other candidates he could support. She said that DeSantis and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who had been on the program earlier, are at different sides of the spectrum.

"I've donated to Suarez, too," Sacks said, noting that he likes each one.

According to Ballotpedia, Miami mayoral elections are nonpartisan, but media outlets identify Suarez as a Republican.

"I like Suarez because he's been extremely welcoming toward the tech ecosystem in Miami," Sacks explained.

"In terms of why I like DeSantis, he was the first governor to stop these insane lockdowns," Sacks said, noting that the Sunshine State governor acted despite media hostility. Sacks said he respects it when an individual takes the correct position on a matter in the face of media hostility.

According to an invite, suggested donations for the Oct. 22 fundraiser are $2,500 for a cocktail reception, $7,000 for a photo opportunity, and $25,000 for dinner.

Sacks "has been a successful founder and investor for over two decades, building and investing in some of the most iconic companies in tech," according to his bio posted by Craft Ventures, where he is co-founder and general partner. "David has invested in over 20 unicorns, including Affirm, AirBnB, Bird, ClickUp, Eventbrite, Facebook, Houzz, Lyft, OpenDoor, Palantir, Postmates, Reddit, Slack, SpaceX, Twitter, Uber, and Wish."

DeSantis, who is up for re-election in 2022, has become an immensely popular figure on the political right.

Sadly, the governor recently revealed that his wife Casey was diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple has three young children.

"Her view is, 'Better me than somebody who may not be able to deal with it,'" DeSantis said earlier this week, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "That's just kind of her spirit. I got faith in the big guy upstairs, and I've got faith in her, and I know that this is a bad break, but she's got an awful lot to live for for the rest of her life."