As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign stumbles, high-powered GOP figures are turning their attention to another well-known governor: Glenn Youngkin of Virginia.
Youngkin’s approval rating just hit an all-time high, according to a recent poll in which 57% of Virginia voters said they approved of their governor’s job performance. The same survey found DeSantis’s popularity had slipped between the start of the year and this summer, with his approval rating dropping four points among Florida Republicans and two points among all voters in the state.
This favorability, along with Youngkin’s record-breaking fundraising efforts, have upped speculation about a 2024 presidential campaign. And some party leaders are increasingly hopeful.
Youngkin, whose entry to politics was his gubernatorial win in 2021, said he’s honored by the attention but that his current focus is on Virginia and the state’s legislative elections this November.
“It’s really humbling when people talk about 2024 and a national role for me. And I thank them, and then I reiterate that I’ve got a big job to do here,” Youngkin told USA TODAY.
Here are the big names crossing their fingers, nonetheless.
Wealthy ex-DeSantis donor backs Youngkin
Billionaire businessman Thomas Peterffy has put his wealth and verbal support behind Youngkin, calling him “an ideal candidate” for the GOP.
“I very much hope that he’s going to enter the race. People I speak to are all favorably inclined towards him,” Peterffy told Fox Business Wednesday. “If he entered, I think there would be tremendous enthusiasm.”
Peterffy added that he does not believe any of the current Republican candidates, including former president Donald Trump, will be able to win the general election. “They are, I think, much too extreme,” he said.
Once a major funder of DeSantis’s campaign, Peterffy halted his contributions back in April over issues with the Florida governor’s stances on abortion and book banning.
Media mogul ditches DeSantis, looks to Youngkin
Rupert Murdoch and his media empire are hoping for a Youngkin run, the New York Times reported earlier this month.
The owner of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, Murdoch seemed to have once supported DeSantis as the 2024 nominee. However, that relationship looks to have soured, and Murdoch’s outlets have become increasingly critical of the Florida governor of late.
Trump, who fell out of Murdoch’s favor after 2020, and his campaign boasted about the recent turn of events.
“In no uncertain terms, Rupert Murdoch made clear that Ron DeSantis is his golden boy, no longer,” Trump’s team wrote in a press release Tuesday.
Youngkin has support from Trump’s Cabinet
Wilbur Ross, former commerce secretary to Trump, will host top donors and party leaders at his Hamptons mansion Friday for “a chance to listen to Youngkin talk about how he’s going to take over the Virginia legislature,” according to the invitation.
While explicitly not a fundraiser, the event gives key party figures the opportunity to meet the governor and potentially boost Youngkin’s national profile.
