A longtime colleague of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had to be arrested last week as tempers flared during a strategy meeting of a super PAC aimed at countering former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s surge in the polls, according to reports.
The clash between Jeff Roe, a political consultant, and Scott Wagner, a former classmate of DeSantis at Yale University, happened last Tuesday during a small rally organized by the pro-DeSantis group Never Back Down, according to NBC News.
“You have your stick -, Scott,” Roe fumed at Wagner.
Wagner replied, “Why don’t you come here and get it?”
Wagner, a former football player at Yale, rose from his seat during the exchange and was restrained by two Never Back Down board members, according to the outlet.
Wagner, who is also a Never Back Down board member, and Roe, founder of GOP political consulting firm Axiom Strategies, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Wagner reportedly had to be restrained during a heated Never Back Down strategy meeting last week.X / Scott Wagner
The tension comes as DeSantis, once believed to be former President Donald Trump’s strongest opponent in the GOP presidential primary race, has faltered in recent polls.
Haley has outperformed DeSantis in two early early states, polling ahead of the Sunshine State governor by 11 points in New Hampshire and more than 8 points in South Carolina, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
DeSantis remains in second place in Iowa — where he has the support of Hawkeye State Gov. Kim Reynolds — but he trails Trump by nearly 30 points and his lead over Haley has dwindled to 3 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
“You have your stand, Scott,” Roe reportedly told Wagner during a tense exchange.X / Jeff Roe
Florida’s governor and his wife, Casey DeSantis, are increasingly frustrated with Never Back Down’s leadership amid its struggle to gain momentum in the election, according to NBC News.
Super PACs are no longer running ads in Iowa amid concerns that voters too easily connect Never Back Down to DeSantis and where they are actually hurting the governor, the report notes.
DeSantis trailed Haley in New Hampshire and South Carolina.Getty Images
At the couple’s urging, a new DeSantis-aligned super PAC – Fight Right Inc. – was launched after a fight near the boardroom.
The group already has an ad running in Iowa comparing Haley to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Hillary is crooked. But for Nikki Haley, she is her role model. Because he’s running for office,” said the 30-second spot.
A pro-DeSantis group ran an ad in Iowa Tuesday comparing Haley to Hillary Clinton.Getty Images
Fight Right Inc. was reportedly topped by $1 million from Never Back Down, a move condemned by the group’s director, former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli.
“The manner in which Haley has struck and her funding appears to be proceeding is deeply distasteful to me, and through this email I am asking Cabell Hobbs, in her capacity as Board Secretary, to preserve this email as part of the board’s records,” Cuccinelli wrote in an email that obtained by the outlet.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
