GOP Donor Turns on Ron DeSantis After New Abortion Law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is fielding harsh reactions from fellow Republicans after signing a six-week abortion ban into law on Thursday, with top GOP donor Thomas Peterffy being the latest to criticize the governor's law.

DeSantis, who is widely viewed as a leading contender for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination, but has not yet announced any plans to run, signed the controversial bill on Thursday after it was passed by the Republican-dominated Florida legislature. The bill, SB 300 or the "Heartbeat Protection Act," does contain some exceptions, however. In the case of rape or incest, an abortion is permitted up to 15 weeks if the woman can provide documentation such as a restraining order or a police report. According to NBC News, the new bill doesn't change existing exemptions for life and the health of the mother up to 15 weeks.

Speaking on Saturday with the Financial Times, Peterffy, a Hungarian-born American billionaire, said, "I have put myself on hold," while discussing financing DeSantis' possible presidential bid. "Because of his stance on abortion and book banning...myself, and a bunch of friends, are holding our powder dry."

Peterffy is the founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers, a digital trading platform. Last year, he donated more than 7 million dollars to Republican campaigns, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying.

The governor's signature on Thursday came amid the backdrop of conservatives' nationwide effort to restrict abortion access, as Democrats push to protect women's right to choose the medical procedure.

GOP lawmakers across the country have worked to severely restrict or completely ban abortion since the conservative-dominated Supreme Court last June overturned the precedent set by the landmark Roe v. Wade decision back in 1973. Under Roe, abortion was established as a federal constitutional right. With its overturning, the decision on whether to legally allow abortions has been returned to individual states.

Meanwhile, fellow Republican and political commentator Ann Coulter took to Twitter on Friday to react to Florida's abortion law, calling it a "total disaster."

Whether SB 300 comes into effect is dependent on the legal challenges to a previous bill signed by DeSantis last April that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks, which is due to appear before the state Supreme Court.

The Florida governor has also faced backlash over a law passed last year requiring teachers to remove books that do not appear on a state-approved reading list until they are reviewed by an employee with a media specialist certificate. School officials across the state have scrambled to comply with the new law, with some saying it has created confusion about which books are now allowed in the classroom.

In January, Peterffy told the Financial Times that he was looking forward to backing DeSantis if he announced a 2024 presidential run. But now, he seems to be thinking twice.

"I am more reluctant to back him. We are waiting to see who among the primary candidates is most likely to be able to win the general, and then put all of our firepower behind them," he told the newspaper on Saturday.

Political analyst and Florida Atlantic University professor Craig Agranoff told Newsweek on Saturday, "It is difficult to say for sure how DeSantis' abortion law will affect possible 2024 fundraising. Some potential donors may be turned off by the law, while others may be more likely to donate to a candidate who is seen as taking a strong stance on the issue. Ultimately, the impact of the law on fundraising will likely depend on a variety of factors, including the overall political climate in 2024 and the level of support for the law among Republican voters."

While speaking about a potential platform DeSantis may run on in 2024, Agranoff added, "It is certainly possible that this abortion law could be a 2024 platform for him if he does announce a presidential run. The law is popular with many Republican voters, and it could help DeSantis to position himself as a strong conservative leader."

Newsweek reached out the DeSantis's office for comment via email.