Three senior members of a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis left the group, the latest sign of instability within the 2024 hopeful’s political operation just six weeks before the Iowa Republican caucuses. DeSantis has long struggled to maintain close relationships with political consultants. Having cycled through several in recent years while, his wife, Casey, is widely viewed as his closest adviser.
Quick Read
- Senior Staff Departures: Three senior members of Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, left the group. This includes Kristin Davison, Erin Perrine, and Matt Palmisano.
- Leadership Changes: Kristin Davison had recently taken over leadership after the departure of CEO Chris Jankowski. Scott Wagner, a longtime DeSantis ally, is now the interim CEO and board chairman.
- DeSantis’ Presidential Campaign Pressures: The changes in the super PAC’s leadership come as DeSantis faces pressure to compete with former President Donald Trump and other potential candidates like Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican primaries.
- Super PAC’s Role in DeSantis’ Campaign: Never Back Down has been instrumental in DeSantis’ presidential organizing and advertising since his candidacy announcement. DeSantis appeared in most Iowa counties at events organized by the super PAC.
- Legal Separation from Campaign: Under federal campaign finance rules, DeSantis and his campaign cannot directly coordinate with Never Back Down.
- Recent Departures from Never Back Down: Other key figures like former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt have also left the group.
- Control Over Super PAC: The departures are seen by some as an effort by DeSantis’ loyalists to regain control over the super PAC, which was initially seeded with over $80 million from DeSantis’ political accounts.
- Jeff Roe’s Role: The group has been run by Republican political consultant Jeff Roe and staffed by employees from his firm, Axiom Strategies. Roe’s involvement and status in the group are currently unclear.
- Iowa Caucus Preparations: Despite these changes, Never Back Down continues to have a significant presence in Iowa, with more staff than any other campaign or super PAC in the state.
- DeSantis’ Relationship with Consultants: DeSantis has had difficulty maintaining stable relationships with political consultants, often relying on his wife, Casey, as his closest adviser.
- Official Statement: Never Back Down affirmed its commitment to DeSantis’ campaign, highlighting its organized caucus operation.
- Trump’s Reaction: Donald Trump commented on the departures in DeSantis’ campaign on his social media platform, framing them negatively.
The Associated Press has the story:
3 officials quit a pro-DeSantis super PAC in the group’s latest shake-up
Newslooks- DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)
Three senior members of a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis left the group, the latest sign of instability within the 2024 hopeful’s political operation just six weeks before the Iowa Republican caucuses.
Kristin Davison parted ways with Never Back Down just after she took over leading the group following the departure of CEO Chris Jankowski less than two weeks ago. Also leaving Saturday were communications director Erin Perrine and director of operations Matt Palmisano, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Never Back Down’s internal operations. Davison’s departure was first reported by Politico.
Longtime DeSantis ally Scott Wagner, who had been a member of the group’s board, was named interim CEO and board chairman.
Never Back Down has carried the bulk of DeSantis’ presidential organizing duties and advertising loads since he announced his candidacy in May. The shake-up of its leadership comes as DeSantis is under growing pressure to cut into former President Donald Trump’s huge leads in Iowa and nationally. And more voters and donors are considering backing the campaign of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
DeSantis’ campaign has relied heavily on Never Back Down for basic campaign functions, though the two sides cannot directly coordinate under federal campaign finance rules. Of the 99 counties DeSantis visited in Iowa, he appeared in 92 of them at Never Back Down events, according to the group’s schedule.
Jankowski, who was among those who helped initially conceive of the super PAC’s outsized role, quit on Nov. 22. Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who had been board chairman, left the group on Friday.
Among some of those close to the situation, the rash of departures is seen as an aggressive step by DeSantis’ loyalists to reassert control over Never Back Down.
The super PAC was seeded with more than $80 million from DeSantis’ political accounts this spring, but, once he became a formal candidate, DeSantis and his campaign were legally prohibited from having any direct control over the group or the money.
Instead, the group has been run by Jeff Roe, a powerhouse Republican political consultant with little pre-existing relationship to DeSantis before this year, but with close ties to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, among a large group of major Republican clients.
Never Back Down’s staff was — and still is — packed with employees directly from Roe’s firm, Axiom Strategies. They included Perrine, Matt Wolking and Jessica Syzmanski, who were apparently still with the group, as were other senior staff as of Saturday.
It was unclear late Saturday if Roe remained part of Never Back Down. Roe did not return several messages seeking comment on his status or the departures of others from the group.
Another top player at Axiom, David Polyansky, moved from the super PAC to deputy manager of DeSantis’ campaign in August, though his new role — allowed under federal law — fit with DeSantis’ new emphasis on Iowa, where Polyansky had worked in presidential and statewide campaigns.
Never Back Down has more staff working in Iowa, more than two dozen, than any campaign or super PAC and have been organizing ahead of the precinct-level caucuses since June. Much of that work goes on unabated despite the staff departures at the top.
For those who know DeSantis well, the increasing tension between the Florida governor’s loyalists and Roe’s team is not surprising.
DeSantis has long struggled to maintain close relationships with political consultants. Having cycled through several in recent years while, his wife, Casey, is widely viewed as his closest adviser.
“Scott Wagner will now serve as chairman of the board and interim CEO of Never Back Down,” the group said in an emailed statement. “Never Back Down has the most organized, advanced caucus operation of anyone in the 2024 primary field, and we look forward to continuing that great work to help elect Gov. DeSantis the next president of the United States.”
Trump, posting on his social media platform, celebrated the reported departures.
“The Ron DeSanctimonious campaign people are dropping like flies,” he wrote.
