One Republican donor close with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is concerned he is taking things too far with his feud with Disney.
The Washington Post published a piece titled, “Some Republicans fear party overreach on LGBT measures.”
In the article, the Post noted some of the bills to limit discussion of gay rights in schools are “leading some party strategists to worry that the initiatives may backfire with moderate voters by making the party seem anti-gay.”
It explains, “The measures have been accompanied by a push among some Republicans to falsely describe backers of gay rights as ‘groomers’ who are recruiting children to question their own sexuality or gender identity at a young age, torquing up rhetoric that LGBTQ activists say is dangerous.”
According to the Post, some Republicans say the recent wave of parental rights legislation stems from the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race.
Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who is close with DeSantis said, “Youngkin invented this, and DeSantis has perfected it.”
The Post reported Eberhart said laws like Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill “signal to the base of the party a willingness to take on fights.”
Still, he suggested DeSantis “may have gone too far” by pushing legislation that stripped the Walt Disney Co of special tax breaks after it spoke out against the bill.
Disney has received support from others, including a Texas judge who urged the company to move from Florida amid the feud with DeSantis.
“While you, your company, employees and diverse fans face authoritarian, anti-business and culture war attacks from extremists in Florida, we in Fort Bend are more ready to welcome the Disney family with thousands of good-paying jobs and billions of dollars of investments,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in a letter addressed to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek.