Top strategists of Ron DeSantis’ Never Back Down super PAC held a contentious meeting last Tuesday to devise a plan to counter Nikki Haley’s growing popularity in the polls. Unbelievably, the meeting took a physical turn, leading to a near altercation between two members.
Jeff Roe, the chief consultant for the super PAC, engaged in a heated dispute with Scott Wagner, a long-time confidant of DeSantis, while the group of nine board members and senior staff deliberated on budgeting.
“You have a stick up your a–, Scott,” Roe angrily retorted at Wagner, who sits on the Never Back Down board.
“Why don’t you come over here and get it?” Wagner shot back, rising from his seat before being restrained by colleagues. The incident was reported to NBC News by an insider present at the meeting.
The internal strife marks an intensification of the ongoing conflict between Never Back Down’s professional political operatives and DeSantis’ inner circle in Tallahassee, as both sides point fingers over the governor’s failure to effectively compete with primary front-runner Donald Trump. DeSantis’ dwindling performance in the polls created an opening for Haley, whose rising popularity and newfound favor with big donors now poses a serious threat to the Florida governor’s campaign.
DeSantis and his wife, Casey, have expressed growing frustration with Never Back Down’s leadership, according to sources knowledgeable about their sentiments.
Following NBC News’ coverage of the internal discord, Never Back Down CEO Chris Jankowski stepped down. In a statement shared by the super PAC, Jankowski said: “For the future of our country I support and pray Ron DeSantis is our 47th president.”
The New York Times initially reported on Jankowski’s resignation.
After the heated meeting, three close DeSantis allies — David Dewhirst, Jeff Aaron, and Scott Ross — established a second super PAC, Fight Right Inc., in response to the brewing tension.
Dewhirst, who recently served as an adviser in DeSantis’ gubernatorial office, is a supporter of James Uthmeier, a former DeSantis’ chief of staff. Aaron is a Florida lawyer, and Ross is a lobbyist.
“This is James taking over the money,” a Republican source familiar with the decision-making process commented on the power struggle arising from the establishment of Fight Right.
Fight Right Inc. released an ad in Iowa, comparing Haley to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — a sought-after target for conservatives for over three decades.
DeSantis’ campaign welcomed Fight Right Inc.’s entry into the 2024 political arena and reaffirmed Never Back Down as a valuable ally.
“We are excited to see even more backers stepping up to support Ron DeSantis’ candidacy,” said DeSantis campaign Communications Director Andrew Romeo. “We’ve already seen tremendous value in the support of groups like Never Back Down, and adding new allies to the mix to independently help spread the governor’s message will only strengthen our advantage in the important weeks and months ahead.”
Creating Fight Right Inc. was a necessary step since Never Back Down’s relentless attacks on Haley risked damaging DeSantis. The super PAC pulled down its ads in Iowa after finding they weren’t effective and were having a counterproductive effect on DeSantis. Voters were easily associating him with the super PAC, which heavily boasted its support for his campaign.
Never Back Down branding was sticking like glue to DeSantis, according to a source involved in the internal discussions.
The fallout from the tension-filled meetings led to the heated exchange between Roe and Wagner, and spurred further resistance to funding a new super PAC, Fight Right Inc., with $1 million. Never Back Down Director Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump administration official, objected to the decision to “send $1m to a separate PAC to run attack ads on Nikki Haley,” as per an email obtained by NBC News.
“The manner in which the Haley hit and its funding appears to be proceeding is exceedingly objectionable to me, and by this email I ask Cabell Hobbs, in his capacity as Board Secretary, to preserve this email as part of the board records,” Cuccinelli continued.
A Never Back Down spokeswoman declined to comment for this article.
The ongoing internal clashes are only fueling the impression of disarray in DeSantis’ presidential campaign. What initially began with the promise of Ron DeSantis challenging Trump has now shifted, with Never Back Down contributing $100 million over nine months and DeSantis losing ground to both Trump and Haley in the polls.
A Washington Post/Monmouth Universitypoll released last week placed DeSantis in the fifth position in New Hampshire (at 7%), with Trump comfortably leading (46%) and Haley in a strong second (18%).
A DeSantis contributor expressed hesitancy, saying, “I’m a bit agitated these guys have spent all this money for no return…You don’t just keep throwing money at Radio Shack.”
At the same time, Never Back Down leadership and long-time DeSantis allies have been at odds over strategic direction, leading to last week’s heated tensions and the formation of a new committee led by DeSantis confidants.
“Ron has gone from being a super PAC puppet to having his own puppets with a super PAC,” commented a senior figure in DeSantis’ world who has lost faith in the campaign.
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