A super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential run has ended door-knocking efforts in one early voting primary state and three Super Tuesday states, officials confirmed to The Post Thursday.
Never Back Down shut down its political investigative operations in Nevada, California, North Carolina and Texas over the past few weeks, after pledging to spend $100 million promoting DeSantis.
The closure was first reported by NBC News.
“We want to reinvest in the first three,” said Never Back Down spokeswoman Erin Perrine, referring to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. “We saw real opportunities in the first three games. The first three will set the conditions for March state.”
South Carolina has long been recognized by Republicans as the third primary state to vote for its eventual nominee, but the Nevada GOP announced earlier this month it would move its caucus ahead of the Palmetto State.
A super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential run has ended door-knocking efforts in early voting states and three Super Tuesday states.AP
“Uh… Nevada is in the first 3?” Spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc. Caroline Leavitt posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to Perrine’s statement. “Don’t Back Down has some serious issues if they don’t know the main calendar.”
Nevada Republicans have set their caucus for February 8, 2024, while the South Carolina GOP has scheduled its caucus for February 24.
More than 250 field personnel were employed in four states before the operation ended, according to NBC.
Thursday’s news follows a series of summer shakeups in DeSantis’ campaign, which culminated in the layoffs of dozens of staffers and the replacement of his campaign manager amid persistent rumors of overspending.
Never Back Down has shut down its political broadcasters in Nevada, California, North Carolina and Texas in the past few weeks, NBC News first reported. AFP via Getty Images
On Super Tuesday, March 5, 13 states will hold their Republican presidential elections or caucuses: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.
A day earlier, DeSantis’ main rival, former President Donald Trump, was scheduled to appear in Washington, DC, federal court for the start of his trial on charges that he tried to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Nevada’s GOP, which sympathizes with Trump’s alleged election fraud, has filed a lawsuit after the Democratic-controlled legislature adopted a state-run primary system.
Republican leaders said the changes were made without putting in place certain voting integrity measures, such as enforcing voter ID and eliminating same-day registration and mail-in ballots.
A local judge ruled against the Nevada Republican Party, but they have appealed to the state Supreme Court.
“When you have that kind of uncertainty about how the election is going to play out, it’s a pretty volatile environment to invest the kind of resources we’re investing,” Perrine told The Post, referring to Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald as a “Trump puppet.”
Never Back Down spokeswoman Erin Perrine told The Post that Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald is a “Trump puppet.” Getty Images
Currently, the state-organized Nevada Republican primary is set for February 6, while the party-organized caucus is scheduled two days later.
McDonald told The Post in response to Perrine that the primary change was not intended to give any candidate an upper hand but to push back Democratic efforts to undermine the integrity of the election.
“I am not anyone’s puppet, never have been, never will be. I’m too old to be a puppet,” McDonald said. “This is not about President Trump, this is not about DeSantis … this is about bringing it back to the voters of Nevada.”
McDonald is one of several Trump associates under federal investigation this year for being part of an alleged fraudulent voter scheme aimed at reversing the former president’s election loss.
Perrine noted that there is a “similar situation in California,” where the new rules would allow the primary candidate with the most votes to be awarded all 169 state delegates, or a portion of them equal to their statewide electorate.
“I am not anyone’s puppet, never have been, never will be. I’m too old to be a puppet,” McDonald told The Post.AP
Delegates were previously awarded by a tally of primary votes in each of the Golden State’s congressional districts.
“When they changed it to proportional, winner-take-all statewide, that completely eliminated the opportunity to campaign at the grassroots level,” Perrine said, adding that it was a “Trump-inspired scam.”
“So with no state having a fair process, the doorknockers being in Nevada and California, we decided to have them refocus on the first three,” he added, reiterating: “The first three will set the stage for March states.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
