As Governor Ron DeSantis gears up to announce his presidential run, some of his most powerful Republican backers are starting to abandon him. Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who was a key supporter of DeSantis, is reportedly reconsidering his support due to concerns about the governor’s policy moves and pronouncements.
According to sources close to him, Griffin is worried about DeSantis’s proclamation minimizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and upset about Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Another billionaire Republican donor, Thomas Peterffy, has put his support of DeSantis “on hold” due to his stance on abortion and book banning. Peterffy added that the governor seems to have “lost some momentum” and is no longer as well positioned to beat Trump as he once was.
The governor’s battle with Disney is also causing rifts within the Republican party, with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie criticizing DeSantis’s vendetta against the House of Mouse. Christie called DeSantis’s actions towards Disney “not conservative,” adding that if a liberal governor was doing the same thing, Republicans would be horrified. DeSantis has been working to punish the entertainment company ever since it expressed opposition to Florida’s infamous Don’t Say Gay law.
While some Republicans are turning their backs on DeSantis, others are still supporting him. Roy Bailey, a well-known fundraiser for Donald Trump, acknowledged that the party is eager for an alternative to the former president and that the momentum has shifted to DeSantis. A Super PAC backing DeSantis called Never Back Down said it has already raised $30 million to support his presidential run, despite the fact that he has yet to announce his campaign. However, with some of his most powerful backers starting to abandon him, the governor’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies could come back to haunt him as he seeks to win the Republican nomination for president.