The turmoil within the super PAC supporting Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential bid has been nothing short of astonishing, especially following a season of unrest within the broader campaign. The super PAC witnessed the departure of its chief executive, the resignation of the board chairman, the firing of three top officials, and the subsequent resignation of the chief strategist – all within a span of less than a month. This series of staff changes has cast DeSantis’s candidacy into a maelstrom of chaos, a stark contrast to the image he once projected as an antidote to such disorder.
The New York Times spoke with over a dozen current and former advisers to Mr. DeSantis and his associated groups. Most chose to remain anonymous, offering insights into a presidential campaign marked by disillusionment, finger-pointing, fatalism, and the unraveling of ambitious plans conceived in a Tallahassee hotel during the early spring, only to go awry by winter.
Financial constraints have become evident: the Never Back Down super PAC, which previously invested heavily in door-to-door campaigning across distant states like North Carolina and California, recently canceled its remaining television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. However, new pro-DeSantis super PACs are stepping in to fill the void.
Federal records reveal a notable trend: by the time of the Iowa caucuses, the DeSantis campaign is projected to spend considerably more on private jets, the governor’s preferred mode of travel, than on airing television ads.
In response to the growing perception of disarray, Andrew Romeo, Mr. DeSantis’s communication director, vehemently denied any such notion. He provided a statement from Mr. Tyson, who refuted remarks attributed to him about “making the patient comfortable”, a clear reference to palliative measures administered to a dying patient.
Romeo dismissed the media’s portrayal as a “hit job” based on unnamed sources with hidden agendas, asserting that DeSantis remains the hardest working candidate with the most robust ground game as he enters the final stretch in Iowa. Despite media predictions of the campaign’s demise back in August, Romeo expressed confidence that DeSantis would defy the odds once again on January 15.
In essence, Governor Ron DeSantis continues to harbor hopes for a turnaround in 2024, even as the narrative unfolds around the challenges and setbacks that marked his 2023 journey.
