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One of the key storylines from the 2024 Republican Primaries is the race for second place. Former president Donald Trump has first place locked up, at least in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. But the race to be the Trump alternative has taken over the headlines. The second-place finisher would presumably step in if he is not on the ballot.
Credit: Disney/Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Related: Disney Just Lost 45 Percent of the Country Over the DeSantis Feud
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis currently finds himself in second place in Iowa, some 30 percent behind Trump and only three percent ahead of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley despite some high-profile endorsements. But Governor DeSantis currently finds himself in fourth place in New Hampshire behind Trump, Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. DeSantis is polling at 7.7 percent in the Granite State, a drop of more than 30 points since he first announced his candidacy in May.
But to stay in the race, the candidates need money. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis lost several billionaire donors over his feud with The Walt Disney Company. And now, DeSantis believes that his feud with Disney has cost him yet another billionaire endorsement.
Credit: Disney/Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Related: DeSantis has Done ‘Considerable Damage’ and Central Florida is Fighting Back
Earlier this week, Americans for Prosperity Action, founded by billionaire Charles Koch, endorsed Haley over DeSantis. The high-profile endorsement comes with millions at Haley’s disposal and a vast network of connections and resources that could help propel her to a second-place finish in Iowa.
After a series of missteps and the downfall of his own super PAC, DeSantis went on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show to try to salvage his campaign. He explained that the billionaire and business-class donors who have abandoned him have done so because he decided to take on The Walt Disney Company.
What it shows is, I have consistently proven that I will do what I think is right, regardless of what donors say…We’ve taken on Disney, we’ve taken on Big Pharma, we took on the sugar industry in Florida when we did our Everglades plan. So, I’ve been able to do that and my view is, let the chips fall where they may, do what you think is right. Don’t twist yourself into a pretzel to try to kowtow to people just for donations…A lot of the folks on Wall Street have policy positions that are just anathema to the American people. You will not win an election in this country nationwide if you’re adopting their platform. I think we’ve seen that with Republicans who’ve tried to do that in the past.
Credit: Disney; Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Disney and the Florida governor have been embroiled in a feud for the past two years over the company’s response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The two sides are embroiled in a Federal Court battle after DeSantis stripped Disney World of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Disney claims government retaliation and that DeSantis and the Florida legislature violated its First Amendment Rights. Disney and DeSantis will have their next hearing on December 12, approximately one month before the Iowa Caucuses.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
His own fault for not anticipating the future consequences of his actions. He didn’t think of how much it would lose him, he was only thinking of appealing to one specific group.