DeSantis-linked super PAC targets Disney and Bud Light in new ad
Mabinty Quarshie
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A super PAC aligned with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) released a seven-figure ad buy on Wednesday targeting “woke” companies such as Disney, Bud Light, and Target, a sign that DeSantis will continue to use culture wars as his path to the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Never Back Down’s 30-second “Once Upon a Time” ad castigates the “woke ideology” of major corporations and will air in Iowa and South Carolina, two early nominating states DeSantis will need a strong showing in next year for a serious shot at becoming the Republican Party’s next standard-bearer.
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The ad, the title of which is a knock on Disney’s classic fairy tale openings, excoriates the company, which has been openly feuding with DeSantis for more than a year.
“Once upon a time, Disney films were for kids, not secret sexual content,” the narrator says in the opening lines.
“Target and Bud Light didn’t sell extreme liberal agendas, and schools taught the ABCs, not CRT,” the narrator continues in reference to critical race theory. “This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a nightmare. But one man stood up: Ron DeSantis.”
The governor’s feud with Disney began when the company criticized his efforts to ban classrooms through the third grade from teaching or discussing sexual orientation and gender identity. The spat has escalated into competing lawsuits between DeSantis and Disney.
Bud Light waded into the culture wars when it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, to the ire of conservatives who boycotted the company. Similarly, Target faced backlash from the Right over its Pride month-themed collection championing the LGBT community.
This is the second ad in roughly a week that Never Back Down has released that doesn’t mention former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner in the GOP primary who faces increasing legal problems. The former president is facing an unprecedented 37-count indictment from the Department of Justice over accusations he mishandled classified documents after leaving office.
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The previous ad from DeSantis’s super PAC, “Punching Back,” was released just days after the indictment was unveiled and ignored Trump.
DeSantis has grappled with how to seize on Trump’s legal woes without losing support from the GOP base. Trump maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts. In the wake of the news, Trump’s popularity among Republican primary voters has barely budged, a worrying sign for DeSantis and other 2024 candidates.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has continued to attack “wokeness” on the campaign trail heavily, leaning into his persona as a hard-charging conservative who will implement Republican priorities if elected as president.