In a significant development within the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Jeff Roe, a key strategist associated with the 'Never Back Down' super PAC, tendered his resignation on Saturday.
This comes less than a month before the commencement of voting in the Iowa caucuses.
Roe, in a post on X, expressed his disappointment over the abrupt end to his association with the campaign. "I cant believe it ended this way," he wrote, adding, "Im so proud to have worked alongside these men and women at NBD 24/7 the past nine months to save the country. Good luck the next 28 days and a wake-up. Im so sorry I cant be there with you."
Roe's resignation follows a report by the Washington Post suggesting that the super PAC had dismissed officials linked to Roe over allegations of "mismanagement and conduct issues."
In his resignation post, Roe refuted these claims, stating, "I cannot in good conscience stay affiliated with Never Back Down given the statements in the Washington Post today." He further added, "They are not true and an unwanted distraction at a critical time for Governor DeSantis."
Despite his departure, Roe expressed his continued support for Governor DeSantis. "Governor DeSantis has been an exceptional governor and I hope he will be the 47th President of the United States. I wish the Governor, First Lady, and their entire team the best through the rest of the campaign."
An anonymous source familiar with the campaign informed the Post that those closest to DeSantis were behind the campaign's restructuring. "The professionals are out and DeSantis wants to go into the home stretch with his closest confidants," they revealed.
Andrew Romeo, the DeSantis campaign communications director, dismissed these allegations as "false narratives coming from unknown sources with harmful agendas." He further stated, "We appreciate the independent efforts of our outside partners at NBD as they are building a historic ground game for the fight ahead."
In November, the super PAC saw the resignation of its CEO, Chris Jankowski, who stated that it was "undeniable" to fulfill the PAC's commitment to DeSantis' election. The Post reported that four other senior officials also left the super PAC in November, and three officials from Roe's firm were dismissed.
According to data from Real Clear Politics, DeSantis' polling average from November 29 to December 14 was marginally ahead of rival Nikki Haley, with DeSantis garnering the support of 12.5 percent of GOP voters, Haley at 11.8 percent, while former President Donald Trump led significantly with 61.9 percent.
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