Posted on 05/12/2023 12:14:57 PM PDT by conservative98
Metals magnate and Republican donor Andy Sabin said he has soured on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his stance on abortion and Ukraine, and is now planning to back Senator Tim Scott instead in the 2024 Republican White House race.
Sabin had been considering donating to DeSantis, who is expected to officially announce a White House run in June, but changed his mind after the governor signed a new law banning abortions after six weeks and called the war in Ukraine a "territorial dispute."
While Sabin is not a megadonor, his decision not to back DeSantis underscores concerns among some deep-pocketed Republican donors about the governor's viability after he signed the abortion restrictions into law and lost ground in opinion polls to former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
"I like DeSantis. He's a great governor, but I don't think he can win a national election with his viewpoint on abortion," Sabin, a prominent donor who hosts fundraisers for candidates, said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
A spokesperson for DeSantis did not respond to requests for comment.
Sabin, who has donated about $1.7 million to Republican campaigns in the last three election cycles according to the non-profit OpenSecrets, made his money in precious metals. He is the chairman of the board of Sabin Metal Corporation.
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"We don't know a lot about Scott at this point, but I think he's a very viable candidate," said Sabin, citing Scott's view that Ukraine should be helped in the conflict with Russia and his stance on abortion. Scott has said that he backs a federal abortion ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Sabin said he mailed a check to Scott on Thursday for $6,600, the maximum an individual is allowed to give a candidate for a primary and general election. Sabin said he planned to donate more to Scott, likely be through a fundraising super PAC, and has offered to hold fundraisers for Scott in the wealthy enclave of the Hamptons.
2024 Iowa Republican Caucus
Trump — 44% (+18)
DeSantis — 26%
Haley — 6%
Pence — 4%
Ramaswamy — 3%
Hutchinson — 1%
T. Scott — 1%
Sununu — 0%
Undecided — 15%
2-Way:
Trump — 45% (+12)
DeSantis — 33%
Undecided — 22%
National Research | 500 LV | 05/09-11https://t.co/JHl7IoDTda— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) May 12, 2023
2024 South Carolina: Trump holds 22-point lead for Republican Nomination
• Trump — 43%
• DeSantis — 21%
• Haley — 19%
• T. Scott — 7%
• Pence — 2%
• Ramasamy — 1%
• Pompeo — 1%
• Hutchinson — 1%
National Public Affairs | 588 LV | 04/14https://t.co/AkQoy5ItGb pic.twitter.com/zT9UP4AWjV— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 19, 2023
the anti-Trump, anti-MAGA GOPe/RINO gazillionaires are just gonna bounce around from one hopeless RINO “candidate” to the next like a crazed pinball bouncing around inside a pinball machine being repeatedly tilted by an insane wino ... i can’t even begin to imagine what kind of hermetically sealed bubble these ultra-mega-rich bozos live in ... being rich doesn’t necessarily make you smarter, but it DOES provide the means to live inside of bubbles that are inside of bubbles that isolate you from reality ...
Senator Tim Scott gives every indication that he is malleable - at least to Dems, Rinos, and so-called middle-of-the- roaders.
The left side of the Republican primary will be crowded with Haley, Christie, Romney, Sununu - who have I left out?
That’s impossible! I was told all MAJOR donors were lining up behind Gov. Meatball and his coronation was a fait accompli
This is a positive for DeSantis and a negative for Scott.
Andy Sabin is a global warming kook with some weird animal fetish.
No thanks…
Looks like his business has gone to his head.
He backs Tim Scott?
He might as well flush his money Down the Toilet.
In other words anybody but Trump. 😏
That he’d dump DeSantis and back a sure loser like Scott says a lot about DeSantis’s lack of appeal as a candidate.
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