Trump to headline Tampa fundraiser for House Republicans

TAMPA — Former President Donald Trump will be the featured speaker Nov. 8 at a fundraiser for House Republicans in Tampa.

It’s $5,000 to get into the dinner and reception at the Tampa Convention Center, according to an invitation obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, with VIP packages priced as high as $255,000. Anyone who donates more than $10,000 will get access to “political briefing panels” and breakfast the next morning.

The fundraiser will benefit the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of the House GOP. The two-day event will also feature Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his top deputies, Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Elise Stefanik of New York.

The fundraiser shows House Republicans will continue to lean on Trump for his popularity among some deep-pocketed donors, even as the former president is actively campaigning for the primary opponents of some members of the GOP caucus.

House Republicans need to pick up five seats to regain a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. They are closely eying one district near the November fundraiser: the open race for Florida’s 13th congressional district in Pinellas County. The office is currently held by Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat who has chosen to run for governor. Trump has endorsed Anna Paulina Luna in the Republican primary to replace Crist.

Trump was previously looking to host a campaign-style rally in Tampa earlier this year, according to reports, but instead held a July event in nearby Sarasota.