Like Beetlejuice or the devil, all you have to do is say their names, and suddenly they will appear. It is the same with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company. All he has to do is say “Disney,” and donors have been dropping cash in his campaign coffers. Or, to be more accurate, Governor DeSantis will say, “Woke Disney,” and the money flows.
Related: Disney is Accused of Being ‘Woke’. What Exactly Does That Mean?
Earlier this week, Gov DeSantis had a glitchy start to his 2024 run for the Republican nomination for President. But on his second try on Twitter Spaces, DeSantis got the message that he was running. During his announcement, many of the moderator’s and Elon Musk’s questions were dedicated to DeSantis’ feud with the Walt Disney Company over Disney World’s self-governing power.
DeSantis responded by saying:
I think some of these Republicans that are taking Disney’s side, they’re basically showing themselves to be corporatist because these are all corporate goodies. This is not the way you would run a competitive economy. And the arrangement had really outlived its usefulness, but it persisted because Disney was so politically powerful. I think the company’s ethos have changed in a way that’s alienated a lot of people in our legislature and in Florida, and so there was really no justification to keep it.
After the announcement, DeSantis’ supporters opened their wallets for the Governor. He raised over $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after declaring his candidacy. To put that into perspective, when then-former Vice President Joe Biden announced his run in 2019, he raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours.
Governor DeSantis may have found himself a winning issue with Republican primary voters. One that will set him apart from an already crowded field and allow him to go head-to-head with former President Donald Trump.
The Walt Disney Company and the Disney brand are incredibly unpopular among Republican voters. Business Insider found that among Republican voters in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, Disney has an average net negative favorability rating of 37 percent. Those are the first four states that will vote in the Republican primary.
Dan Eberhart, CEO of a drilling services company, Canary LLC, told Business Insider:
The campaign thinks this is a very good issus for primary voters. Disney is the 800 pound gorilla of children’s content. It’s all woke. You can’t find a traditional family anywhere.
Whether this strategy works remains to be seen. The first primary contest is still months away, and there will be a lot of wrangling before then.
We will keep you updated on this story at Disney Fanatic.
