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LGBTQ - Even Florida Republicans are starting to get fed up with Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R) “anti-woke” agenda.
A recent Politico exposé has revealed that both Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature have had enough of the governor’s revenge-fueled agenda that in large part is focused on what he believes will help his presidential ambitions.
“We’re not the party of cancel culture. We can’t keep doing this tit for tat,” said one GOP lawmaker, who chose to remain anonymous.
While most Republicans were unwilling to speak on the record due to the power DeSantis holds, the report details the legislators’ frustrations that the governor has ignored their priorities in favor of advancing his own. Additionally, many who do not support government intervention in private businesses are embittered by his battle with Disney.
“I think our Republican colleagues are done,” said Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo. “I think they are fed up. There’s obviously still some true believers and there’s some very loyal and allegiant individuals and groups… They would like him to hurry up and announce and start focusing exclusively on other stuff other than here.”
Former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes has spoken regularly with current Republican representatives and said they are “deeply frustrated.”
“They are not spending any time on the right problems… Most legislators believe that the balance of power has shifted too far and the Legislature needs to re-establish itself as a coequal branch of government.”
Despite DeSantis’s efforts to position himself for a presidential run, his unrelenting vendetta against Disney for speaking out against the state’s Don’t Say Gay law has lost him support across the board. To many, he has become nothing more than the butt of a joke.
As Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell recently wrote, “Donald Trump is pounding on him like a bass drum. Donors are running away. And most mainstream Americans are either confused by or put off by his constant culture-warring.”
(Molly Sprayregen is the Associate Editor of LGBTQ Nation where this article was first published.)