Ron Desantis’ Campaign Faces More Mayhem as His Chief Strategist, Jeff Roe Resigns Abruptly

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finds himself grappling with deepening political turmoil as the chief strategist of the Never Back Down PAC, a crucial component of his 2024 presidential campaign, abruptly resigned. The unexpected departure of Jeff Roe, announced late Saturday, December 6 night via a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), dealt a severe blow to DeSantis's already faltering presidential aspirations.

The Never Back Down PAC's chief strategist, Roe's resignation shocked the party members and DeSantis' publicity team. Per Washington Post the internal challenges in Governor Ron DeSantis's 2024 campaign has led to intense blame-shifting within the PAC which promoted Roe from the campaigning for DeSantis. However he asserted in his statement, "I cannot in good conscience stay affiliated with Never Back Down given the statements in the Washington Post today. They are not true and an unwanted distraction at a critical time for Governor DeSantis."

Roe's departure comes mere weeks before DeSantis faces a pivotal test in Iowa's Republican presidential nomination race, where he is locked in a competitive battle with former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for a second-place position behind the dominant front runner, Donald Trump. "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," Roe said in his farewell message. 

Since late November, five senior officials have departed, a tumultuous exodus marked by the termination of three individuals from Roe's firm and the resignations of the board chairman and founding chief executive. Reports of a verbal conflict within the group's Atlanta offices and DeSantis's own reservations about the outside group's leadership further exacerbated the chaos. As pointed out by Politico's Alex Isenstadt, Governor DeSantis heavily leaned on Never Back Down PAC to manage crucial campaign functions, notably in the area of field deployment. As senior members continue to exit, and with DeSantis's first major nomination race approaching, the governor must now confront the daunting task of stabilizing his campaign and restoring confidence in the face of mounting challenges.

In a recent Instagram post DeSantis shared his views on the gun laws in the state. He wrote, "Special thank you to my friend Thomas Massie for traveling to Iowa to campaign with us today. As Thomas told Iowans tonight, you can have faith that I will never waver in defense of your Second Amendment rights! I’ve stood up for law-abiding gun owners in Florida — and I’ll do the same as president." User @jamesscotts came in support and wrote, "Number one killer of children in the USA." While others compared his move with Trump.