(BrightPress.org) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ political campaign is shaking up staff at the Never Back Down super PAC supporting his presidential bid. Just moments after he completed his 99-county tour of Iowa (nicknamed “The Full Grassley”) the PAC fired three senior staff members, including the interim CEO who had only been in the role nine days. An unnamed source with the campaign said they were caught off guard by the firings, the individuals had attended events with DeSantis as recently as earlier in the day, according to the source.
DeSantis said he was ambivalent about criticism in the press because his campaign was about the voter, not the candidate.
DeSantis has had a tight-knit circle surrounding himself for the duration of his political career. One of the problems his campaign has had is his preference for loyal individuals who may not have experience running a national campaign.
DeSantis and his representatives have previously downplayed staffing shuffles, when something similar happened over the summer, deputy campaign manager David Polyansky said that his team’s firepower “remains unmatched.” He further said the Never Back Down PAC had an impressive operation including boots on the ground in Iowa.
Kristin Davison was one of the senior staffers let go from Never Back Down over the weekend, she had been in her second week serving as interim CEO and ran the Iowa 99-county tour before being abruptly dismissed. Long-time DeSantis friend Adam Laxalt also resigned from the board.
An anonymous individual working with the campaign said that the restructuring “means nothing” despite some people in the campaign being shocked by the removals.
Voters don’t seem to notice or care. DeSantis’ unfamiliarity with national campaigns has been evident from the outset with the campaign and PAC (seeded with $83 million from DeSantis’ 2022 re-election campaign coffer) butting heads over responsibilities or shifting them back and forth. A second PAC, Fight Right Inc., is now emerging after the governor reportedly disapproved of some of the advertisements deployed by Never Back Down.
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