Billionaire Investor Says Virginia Gov. Youngkin Could Announce Presidential Bid Soon

The billionaire founder of Interactive Brokers, Thomas Peterffy, is publicly urging Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to enter the 2024 presidential race and says he could announce a bid as early as next week, according to comments to Forbes.

“I have spoken to Youngkin, and I have spoken to many big GOP donors. We are all enthusiastic and waiting for him to win Virginia and enter the race,” Peterffy said. “Youngkin has a fantastic gravitas and he would have a great deal of support from big donors, so he could get to the top very, very quickly.”

Peterffy says that Youngkin is hoping that the Virginia State Senate will flip, with Republicans taking the majority in the upcoming Virginia election in order to boost himself as a presidential contender.

“His hope is that ... the Senate will flip Republican, and that would give him a platform on which we could say, 'Look, I turned an all-blue state red, and I can do that nationwide. So please vote for me,’ ” Peterffy said.

Youngkin is a former private equity investor has previously said he is “wholly focused on the Commonwealth of Virginia," but Peterffy says he and "several tons" of Republican billionaires and megadonors are pressing him to pursue the White House in the 2024 election cycle, he told Forbes.

Peterffy previously backed Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, however he withdrew his support in April saying DeSantis "ruined his chances" by signing the six week abortion bill in the Sunshine State.

The billionaire has reportedly donated over $2 million to Youngkin and says that the governor may decide not to run in the end. If not Youngkin, Peterffy says he will back former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

“I think that she has a good chance,” Peterffy told Forbes. “but I think Youngkin would be a lot better.”

Disclosure: Thomas Peterffy is one of several investors in The Messenger.