Braman, a former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football franchise, is poised to occupy the sugar-daddy role for Rubio that, in 2012, Sheldon Adelson played for Newt Gingrich and Foster Friess played for Rick Santorum: the mega-contributor who kept their candidacies afloat even after other donors had written them off.

The Miami businessman, Braman’s friends say, is considering spending anywhere from $10 million to $25 million — and possibly even more — on Rubio’s behalf, a cash stake that could potentially alter the course of the Republican race by enabling the Florida senator to wage a protracted fight for the nomination.

The investment is as much a reflection of Braman’s regard for Rubio as it is for his distaste for the GOP’s other Florida-based presidential hopeful. Over the past decade, Braman, who has a fondness for art, American history and luxury cars, has nursed a grudge against Bush that he’s now positioned to act on with a vengeance.

At issue is Bush’s 2004 veto of $2 million in state funds that had been allocated for the Braman Breast Cancer Institute.