A super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential run asked deep-pocketed donors in the past week to contribute $50 million more to help the Republican candidate overtake former President Donald Trump as the GOP front-runner — warning that DeSantis has just two months to do so.
Jeff Roe, chief strategist of Never Back Down, made the big question hours before the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee on August 23, the New York Times reported.
“Now let me tell you a secret – don’t leak this,” Roe was quoted as saying in an audio recording obtained by the outlet. “We have to do this now. We are on the move now.”
“The day after Labor Day, we launch and we need your help to stay alert and work hard throughout the journey. We need 50 million dollars,” said Roe.
Most of the donations are needed before the second GOP debate on Sept. 27, he added, to help the 44-year-old Florida governor separate himself from other Republican candidates and to get ahead of Trump, who Roe warned would both lose to President Biden in a runoff. raya 2020 and kill the Republicans’ chance to retake the Senate.
Never Back Down is reportedly asking donors to pocket $50 million over the next few months to help the Republican candidate defeat former President Donald Trump.AP
Jeff Roe, chief strategist for Never Back Down, reportedly made a big request for $50 million in donations ahead of the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Axiom Strategy
“We’ve got to beat him and we’ve got to beat him in the next 60 days and we’ve got to beat everyone else who’s nipping at our heels. Now. And we need to get further apart — now,” Roe said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Roe then named DeSantis’ three closest rivals — former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) — explaining how each is unprepared for the presidency.
He joked about a fly landing on Pence’s head for about two minutes during a debate against then-vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2020 before claiming Haley was “not really a pretty person” and was seen as unfit for office.
Scott was also deemed ineligible by Roe despite being well regarded.
Roe joked about a fly that landed on former Vice President Mike Pence’s head for about two minutes during his debate against then-vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2020.AP
Representatives for Pence and Haley did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for Scott declined to comment.
Roe, founder and CEO of Axiom Strategies, masterminded the 2016 presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s upset election victory in 2021.
He didn’t seem to mention entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who polled right behind DeSantis in most polls.
The CEO of Axiom Strategies said Haley was “not really a pretty person” and was seen as unfit for office.REUTERS
“Right now the good news is we have all the money we need in this room,” Roe told donors as he discussed how Florida’s governor can be the top in the Hawkeye State. “The bad news is that it’s still in your wallet.”
He also insinuated that he would be willing to pick up checks from TSA online donors at the Milwaukee airport, saying efforts to elect DeSantis “didn’t go, you know, smoke.”
“So we’re going to spend this money now, betting that our donors won’t let us down,” Roe said. “And I have been disappointed a lot by donors. And I already lost to Trump once [in 2016] and we can’t do it anymore.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is well regarded but not presidential by voters, Roe.AP said
Roe’s warning underscores the urgent funding push for Never Back Down, as allies of DeSantis look to narrow the Republican primary field before next year’s primary.
The super PAC has raised more than $130 million and spent about $34 million since its launch in March, according to federal filings.
DeSantis’ campaign raised more than $20 million between April 1 and June 30 – the most of any candidate for the second quarter – and spent about $8 million.
Representatives for Never Back Down and the DeSantis campaign did not immediately return requests for comment.
Most of the donations are needed before the next GOP debate on Sept. 27, he added, to help DeSantis separate himself from the other candidates and defeat Trump decisively.AP
The super PAC announced Thursday that it has halted its political investigative operations in Nevada, California, North Carolina and Texas to refocus its efforts in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Spokeswoman Erin Perrine cited new nominating rules in two Western states that would favor Trump in explaining the decision, but did not mention any lack of funding.
Never Back Down has been aggressively spending money on ground operations for governor, but is barred from officially coordinating with the DeSantis campaign.
Never Back Down has aggressively funded field operations for the governor, but is barred from formally coordinating with his campaign.REUTERS
In July, the DeSantis campaign laid off about a third of its staff and replaced its first campaign manager, Generra Peck, with the governor’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier.
Peck is now the campaign’s chief strategist.
One of the Florida governor’s biggest supporters, hotelier Robert Bigeolow, also called on DeSantis to moderate his campaign stance — and stop his donations.
Trump, 77, leads the Republican primary field with 53.6% support, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
He was followed in the polls by DeSantis (13.5%), Ramaswamy (7.3%), Haley (4.9%), Pence (4.6%), former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2.5%) and Scott (2.4%).
One of the Florida governor’s biggest supporters, hotelier Robert Bigeolow, also called on DeSantis to moderate his campaign stance — and stop his donations.REUTERS
Roe noted to donors that Never Back Down’s internal poll matched a recent Des Moines Register poll showing DeSantis jumping to 19% support in Iowa, with Trump at 42%.
“We want to show them that we’re the better option — never back down, give it to the elite, just be ourselves,” Roe added. “But the 37% who like Trump but want someone new, we have to give them what they want, and that’s the policy. Show them what the governor has done. These people — we have to get them what they need, which is common sense, which is endurance and stability and leaders, vision, optics, family, Casey.”
Never Back Down has gathered many commitments from Iowans who say they will support DeSantis at the Jan. 15 caucus, he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
