One former Ron DeSantis backer still wants a southern Governor to take the GOP presidential nomination next year.
Interactive Brokers founder Thomas Peterffy, whose net worth nears $28 billion at this writing, is now backing Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin, contributing $1 million to Youngkin’s PAC last weekend.
During an interview on Fox News, Peterffy stressed that his contribution was focused on the November 2023 race in Virginia, but that he and others want Youngkin to enter the presidential race after those elections.
“He is at this time completely focused on the Virginia elections coming on the seventh of November. But I believe that if there are lots of people calling for him to enter after those elections, then he may very well do so,” Peterffy said on “Fox & Friends.”
Peterffy, who distanced himself from DeSantis this spring over “abortion and book banning,” believes Youngkin is singularly qualified as the alternative to Donald Trump.
“He could beat Donald Trump, he could beat anybody. He’s an incredible person. He’s experienced as CEO of one of the largest equity groups and he’s nearly three years as Governor in Virginia, demonstrating his exceptional capabilities in running as a leader of a large organization,” Peterffy said. “There’s nobody else like that. He’s a really good person.”
Youngkin would not be in place to debate in August or anytime soon, if Peterffy’s timetable holds. But polling shows the Virginia Governor is better positioned than DeSantis or Trump to at least carry Virginia in a General Election.
In the Commonwealth Poll conducted by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, Youngkin is the only one of the three GOP hopefuls polled against Joe Biden to win outright.
While 44% of respondents prefer their own Governor (against 37% for Biden), neither DeSantis nor Trump have leads.
“If the candidates were Biden and former President Donald Trump, 43% of respondents favored Biden while 40% favored Trump. If the candidates were Biden and current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the vote would be evenly split, with each candidate receiving 41%,” the polling memo asserts.
The post Former Ron DeSantis backer now supports Glenn Youngkin in 2024 appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..