Lead Strategist for DeSantis Super PAC, Jeff Roe, Resigns After Washington Post Article

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures as he speaks during the fourth Republican presidential primary debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Jeff Roe, lead strategist for the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, announced his immediate resignation late Saturday in what he said was an effort to end distractions to the campaign.

His resignation follows internal chaos at the super PAC in recent weeks after an apparent split and the creation of a new Tallahassee-based pro-DeSantis super PAC named Fight Right.

In the past few weeks, three top officials have resigned from Never Back Down, with Mr. Roe now becoming the fourth. Never Back Down’s CEO Chris Jankowski and board chairman, former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, resigned in November.

In his resignation, Mr. Jankowski cited issues that go “well beyond a difference of strategic opinion.” He was replaced by interim president, Kristin Davison, who was then fired along with two other top officials.

Mr. Roe said his departure was in response to comments by the PAC’s new chairman, Scott Wagner, to The Washington Post, which were published in an article on Saturday about disagreements and turmoil between the super PAC and Mr. DeSantis’s inner circle. Never Back Down is independent of Mr. DeSantis’s campaign but has been a major financial supporter to date.

“Following mismanagement and conduct issues, including numerous unauthorized leaks containing false information, senior officials were terminated,” Mr. Wagner told The Post. “We don’t have time to indulge false narratives from those with ulterior motives.”

A lawyer for the terminated employees contacted Mr. Wagner shortly after his comment was published by The Post, saying that the quote was “categorically false.”

Mr. Wagner then sent a revised statement to The Post which read: “Following some opinions regarding mismanagement and conduct issues, including some who believed there appeared to be numerous unauthorized leaks containing false information, NBD and some senior officials parted ways.”

In his response posted to X, Mr. Roe said, “Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.’ I cannot in good conscience stay affiliated with Never Back Down given the statements in the Washington Post today,” he said, taking aim at the super PAC’s new chairman.

“They are not true and an unwanted distraction at a critical time for Governor DeSantis,” he said. “I can’t believe it ended this way. I’m 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. I’m so sorry I can’t be there with you.”

According to The Post, longtime DeSantis adviser Phil Cox will be filling the role of chief strategist at the PAC in the final weeks before the Iowa caucus.

Mr. Roe said he was proud of the team he helped build at Never Back Down.

“This is a team of political warriors and their grind and dedication over the last nine months has helped put Governor Ron DeSantis in a strong position,” he said.

“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,” he said.

GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, who leads Mr. DeSantis by a considerable margin across multiple polls, responded to news of the resignation on Truth Social.

“Jeff Roe is out—GAME OVER for DeSanctimonious!” he said.