August 5, 2023

Things haven't been going well for Gov. Ron DeSantis's bid for the White House. And they just got worse as DeSantis's most prominent donor told Reuters on Friday that he would cut off funds to his 2024 campaign if he didn't adopt a more "moderate approach."

"He does need to shift to get to moderates. He'll lose if he doesn't... Extremism isn't going to get you elected," Bigelow said, adding that he had spoken to DeSantis' campaign about his concerns.

When the outlet asked which specific policies Bigelow did not support, Bigelow cited only one -- DeSantis's policy on abortion. In April, a bill was passed by the Florida legislature banning abortions after six weeks, a move that came after Bigelow had donated a whopping $20 million.

Via Reuters:

Bigelow said he would not donate more money for now. "Not until I see that he's able to generate more on his own. I'm already too big a percentage," Bigelow said. "A lot of his donors are still on the fence."

Bigelow, the founder of Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, said he wasn't waiting for an exact fundraising figure, but that "it's going to be a lot."

In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign, Bryan Griffin, said they were "grateful" to supporters and donors who gave them "the capacity to compete for the long haul," without addressing Bigelow directly.

Bigelow's comments will likely stoke perceptions that DeSantis, once a donor darling expected to put up a real fight against Trump, is in a downward spiral as his right-wing social policies and wooden personality fail to excite voters.

DeSantis has ostracized minorities and women, but both are a coveted bloc of voters. And he certainly won't appeal to Independents if the sole issue he campaigns on is anti-wokeism.

And his wife can't help him out. She's as dull as he is.

It sure looks like 'Go woke, go broke' isn't really a thing.

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