Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ still-unnanounced 2024 candidacy met with more headwinds over the weekend when news broke that one of his major donors was pressing pause on funding his campaign.
Top GOP donor Thomas Peterffy said he was having second thoughts due to the extreme turn DeSantis has taken on social issues such as reproductive freedom and banning learning.
“Because of his stance on abortion and book banning … myself, and a bunch of friends, are holding our powder dry,” Peterffy told the Financial Times.
Not so coincidentally, last week DeSantis tried to bury news of him signing into law Florida’s six-week abortion ban by releasing his statement after 11 PM. It appeared to signal some internal recognition among the DeSantis braintrust that his right-wing policies were marginalizing him, but now it seems more likely that realization was driven by a cohort of well-heeled donors planning to cut ties with him.