Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.Photo:AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Another prominent donor for RepublicanRon DeSantisis taking a step back from contributing to the Florida governor’s 2024 presidential campaign, saying he’s “still on the sidelines as to who to support in this election cycle.”
CNBCreports that billionaire Ken Griffingavemore than $100 million to state and federal candidates (the bulk of them Republican) during the 2022 midterms. In 2021, he gave $5 million to a political action committee backing DeSantis’ gubernatorial reelection bid.
“Look, if I had my dream, we’d have a great Republican candidate in the primary who was younger, of a different generation, with a different tone for America," Griffin, the CEO of Citadel, told CNBC’s Sara Eisen in a Monday night interview. “And we’d have a younger person on the Democratic side in the primary, who would have his message for our country.”
The first 2024 Republican presidential debate. Pictured are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Speaking of DeSantis' campaign specifically, Griffin told CNBC: “I don’t know his strategy. It’s not clear to me what voter base he is intending to appeal to.”
But his extreme positions on things like book bans and abortions — and a more-than-year-longfight with Walt Disney World— have been the final straws for some donors.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event in South Carolina on July 17, 2023.AP Photo/Meg Kinnard
AP Photo/Meg Kinnard
Griffin further said that DeSantis' feud with Disney — a cultural and tourism juggernaut that produces a more-than $75.2 billion annual economic impact for Florida — “doesn’t reflect well on the ethos of Florida.”
Griffin’s stance signals another financial challenge for the Republicans in a long shot bid to defeat Trump, who has a considerable advantage in current polls.
Former President Donald Trump, holding hands with wife Melania Trump, announces his third presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15, 2022.Joe Raedle/Getty
As Trump’s star power threatens to eclipse his challengers, 45-year-old DeSantis has seen several wealthy mega-donors step back from offering their financial support.
In July, theSouth Florida Sun Sentinelreported that Nelson Peltz, a billionaire businessman and the father of actressNicola Peltz Beckham, is among those “rethinking” their support for the Florida governor.
Peltz, who was expected to be a huge financial asset to the campaign, allegedly “thinks that most of DeSantis’s policies are acceptable, but his position on abortion is way too severe,” a source told theFinancial Times.
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Then in August, hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow toldReutershe, too, was “still on the fence” about supporting DeSantis.
“Extremism isn’t going to get you elected,” Bigelow said, adding: “He does need to shift to get to moderates. He’ll lose if he doesn’t."
As Reuters noted, Bigelow gave $20 million to the pro-DeSantis PAC Never Back Down in March. But for now he’s pulling back, telling the outlet he won’t continue to fund the campaign “until I see that he’s able to generate more on his own.”
source: people.com
