On December 16th, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) suddenly found his whole campaign in upheaval as his longtime consultant and top advisor, Jeff Roe resigned from the Super PAC he was a member of. Coming hot on the heels of a horrific report from the Washington Post that Never Back Down (NBD), the PAC built from the ground up by Roe, is falling apart from the top down, he felt he had to leave.
With five other senior NBD officials leaving before Roe announced his departure, and three others fired when he left, the writing is on the wall.
Per the report in the Post, “[T]he board chairman and the founding chief executive both resigned, amid internal concerns about legal compliance. A verbal conflict from inside the group’s Atlanta offices became public, as did DeSantis’s own misgivings about the outside group’s leadership. The governor and his campaign staff have been frustrated by reporting on the drama around Never Back Down and critical of the group’s ad strategy, with DeSantis’s second campaign manager, James Uthmeier, publicly instructing donors to give elsewhere for TV ads.”
With only three weeks left until DeSantis faces the Iowa caucuses, they have little hope for changing the situation. Truth be told, DeSantis knew he likely had very little chance to begin with. That’s also what made him likely to run.
Of all the things DeSantis learned during his time in politics, the biggest is the fact that many people don’t vote FOR certain candidates, rather they vote AGAINST their opponents. Given the tumultuous relationship with the American people that current President Joe Biden has, he could stand a real chance if he was nominated. To get there he would be facing off against the horrible picture former President Trump left the office with. All the allegations of potential criminal actions, and many loyal conservatives couldn’t vote for Trump.
Sounds like smooth sailing, right?
Unfortunately for DeSantis, the last time the American people as a collective loved him, Biden was still on TV pushing for lockdowns and social distancing, masking, and touting the vaccine as the cure. Not a friendly or fun time in American history, and more to the point, not a time where it’s hard to look good. He had already gone along with Trump’s initial lockdown recommendations, but they weren’t enforced much if at all.
When DeSantis and the NBD sunk millions into his campaign ads, they wanted to remind voters of these times. Of the moments when Florida Man looked more like a founding father, and the Bill of Rights guaranteed your medical freedom. Then they decided to button hook. Making a big decision to attack the LGBTQ community, Disney, and other Florida favorites, he painted a massive target on his back.
As more and more questions were asked of DeSantis, it has become increasingly clear that DeSantis simply isn’t the man (or woman) for the job.
Per multiple insiders, DeSantis only wants those closest to him going through this campaign. An incredibly ignorant decision, he is refusing the help of those whose entire profession is built around this kind of work. Flat out, being close to DeSantis or Uthmeier is the only way you’ll be dragged along on this campaign, minus that, DeSantis seemingly has no use for anyone at this point.
Meanwhile, for Roe, his Republican consulting firm Axios is now one of the largest and most in demand in Washington. This comes even after he guided Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’s failed 2016 Presidential campaign, as well as multiple Senate bids. Blessed with some great ideas to get campaigns going, and getting people to sit up and take notice, he comes up short when it comes to winning the big race.
Perhaps he should have kept the initials he gave DeSantis’ campaign, and should instead use them to explain the level of success for himself and his firm when push comes to shove; No Big Deal.
