During an interview on the Fox network’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” program, a billionaire Republican donor disclosed his favored choice for the presidential candidate in 2024.
Thomas Peterffy expressed his preference for a centrist candidate, citing Glenn Youngkin as an example. However, it should be noted that Youngkin, the current governor of Virginia, has not officially declared his candidacy for the 2024 GOP nomination.
According to a report by Fox Business:
Former President Donald Trump is facing a second indictment, and many experts are questioning what impact the charges will have on his 2024 White House bid. While Trump has maintained his dominant lead in the polls for the Republican nomination, one GOP donor is weighing in on who could be the ideal candidate for the party and the nation.
“I would like to vote for a person who, in my view, is most likely to be able to win the general election. And accordingly, we have to pick somebody in primaries that we believe is most likely to win the general. And that is going to be a person that I believe is more likely to be a centrist candidate,” Interactive Brokers founder Thomas Peterffy said on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” Tuesday.
“I think that [Glenn Youngkin] would be an ideal candidate, although it is not very likely that he’s going to run. Not at this point, certainly,” he added.
Peterffy shared how he is determined to support a candidate who can help the U.S. avoid becoming like a socialist country.
“I grew up in a socialist country, and I’m deathly afraid of ending up in the same situation, and I will do practically anything to avoid it,” he said.
Peterffy then explained why he saw a candidate like Virginia Gov. Youngkin as the ideal candidate.
“I think that he is the person that most people will find very, very attractive,” he said. “And he goes along with the main Republican ideals of individual freedom and economic freedom. And that’s where the issue basically is. And less regulation, smaller government, etc.”
The Virginia governor has not declared he is running in 2024,. However, he has often been mentioned as a potential candidate in a large Republican field.
In early May, Youngkin said that he would not be launching a 2024 bid for the White House “this year.”
Despite this, the governor has been sending mixed signals over his political ambitions ahead of the 2024 presidential election. His political team has yet to publicly rule it out. A recent poll showed the governor’s approval rating at 56%, compared to 32% who disapprove.
Youngkin’s state super PAC Spirit of Virginia released an ad in May that declares “parents still matter” as speculation grows over whether he’s readying a 2024 presidential run.
The PAC released another video in May that featured clips from his speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that further fueled the speculation.
Asked if Youngkin is planning a presidential run, Rexrode told Fox News Digital that the governor is “100 percent focused on Virginia, as he’s repeatedly made clear.”
Peterffy did acknowledge another “extremely attractive” GOP candidate who has already entered the race.
“I did have a meeting with[Vivek] Ramaswamy,” he told host Neil Cavuto. “Wait for the debates. He’s an extremely attractive candidate.”
According to a May Fox News poll, the Strive Asset Management co-founder is sitting at 4% support among Republican voters.
Former president Donald Trump maintains his lead with 53% support among GOP primary voters nationally, and Ron DeSantis once again comes in second at 20%. Last month, it was 53-21%. Since February, Trump has gained 10 points and DeSantis has lost 8.
The next tier includes Mike Pence at 5%, Nikki Haley and Ramaswamy both at 4%, and Liz Cheney and Tim Scott at 2% apiece. Greg Abbott, Kristi Noem, Chris Sununu, and Glenn Youngkin receive 1%, while Chris Christie, Larry Elder, Asa Hutchinson, and Francis Suarez are at less than 1% each.
“I don’t think [Donald Trump] can win the general,” Peterffy said when asked about his concerns over President Trump.
“I was very enthusiastic about DeSantis, but when he passed a six-week abortion bill. I thought that maybe that drastically weakened him in a general election,” he added.
With President Trump engulfed in further legal trouble and DeSantis facing legal battles of his own, the top GOP candidates are facing mounting pressure. Peterffy believes the party is still waiting to see its candidate “emerge.”
