Just when things look like they’ve hit rock bottom for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, he finds a new floor. A recent poll from CNN/University of New Hampshire shows that Governor DeSantis has fallen into third place in the Granite State behind former president Donald Trump and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. DeSantis has dropped 32 points since he announced his presidential bid earlier this year.
Related: The Billionaire Has Left the Building. DeSantis Loses Major Donor Over Disney Feud.
The Florida Governor has also fallen to third place in South Carolina, behind Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. So, in two of the first three primary states, DeSantis has joined the pack of Republicans trailing Donald Trump.
The news worsened earlier this week when billionaire donor Ken Griffin publicly announced that he would not support DeSantis’ campaign. Griffin specifically pointed to DeSantis’ feud with the Walt Disney Company for his lack of financial support, calling it “pointless” and “bad for the ethos of Florida.” Griffin gave DeSantis $5 million for his re-election—campaign for governor.
But after a disappointing couple of weeks, DeSantis has tried to claw back into the race by doubling down on his accusations against the Walt Disney Company. According to Fox Business, DeSantis said:
I have six, five and three-year-old kids at home. The idea that we are going to allow a company to come in and try to wreak havoc on our education system, injecting transgender ideology in elementary school, negating parents’ rights, that is non-negotiable for me. We will stand up for our kids. We will stand up for our parents. I see our country in decline in a variety of fronts, including in education. We’ve reversed that decline in Florida. And yes, we’ve had to stand up to Disney to do it, but that was the right thing to do. And I stand by it 100%.
As he tours the country, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis has accused Disney of “sexualizing” and “indoctrinating” children. Disney CEO Bob Iger has called those accusations “preposterous and inaccurate.”
This fight began nearly 20 months ago when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t”Don’tay” bill.” DeSantis and the Florida Legislature responded by stripping Disney of its Reedy Creek Improvement District and replacing it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, filled with DeSantis appointees.
Disney currently has a lawsuit in Federal Court claiming that DeSantis and the Florida Legislature infringed upon its First Amendment right. There is also a second case in State Court with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District suing Disney to void any agreements with the Reedy Creek District. Disney is countersuing the Board for damages.
Ken Griffin is not the first of Ron DeSantis’s billionaire donors to disappear. In July, the founder of Triad Partners, Nelson Peltz, also announced that he would not support the governor. He also cited DeSantis’ feud with Disney as his reason for cooling on the governor. Peltz also gave DeSantis $5 million for his latest run for governor.
It remains to be seen how the loss of these donors will affect the DeSantis campaign.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
INHO, Disney needs to earn back some respect from those of us who have supported them for 20+ years. Pushing agenda on long-term fans is not the way to go. Go back to the fantasy world that Walt created. May he rest in peace.