U.S. metals magnate Sabin sours on DeSantis, backs Scott in 2024 race
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[May 13, 2023]
By Alexandra Ulmer
(Reuters) - 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.
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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.
DeSantis can still count on the support of some major donors, including
billionaire hotelier Robert Bigelow, who recently put $20 million behind
his campaign. However, some other big donors are holding fire. Citadel
hedge fund founder and top Republican donor Ken Griffin, for instance,
has not yet publicly backed a presidential candidate.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis leaves
Lloyds Bank building at the City of London financial district,
Britain April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo
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Sabin said he will back Scott, a Republican long-shot candidate from
South Carolina who has made positivity and unity the main message of
his nascent campaign. Scott, the only Black Republican in the
Senate, is expected to declare he is running later this month.
"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.
A spokesperson for Scott declined to comment.
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.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco, additional reporting
by Jason Lange, editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
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