DeSantis campaign blames its own super PAC for leaks, bad TV advertising

Tensions between Ron DeSantis’ struggling presidential campaign and his allied super PAC are boiling over, with the campaign losing confidence in Never Back Down’s leadership and ability to orchestrate a TV advertising campaign, according to two people close to the Florida governor.

The criticism comes amid mounting questions about the strength of DeSantis’ campaign, and that of Never Back Down. The super PAC has suffered two major departures over the last week, with the organization’s CEO, Chris Jankowski, and its chair, Adam Laxalt, stepping down.

Earlier this week, DeSantis campaign manager, James Uthmeier, wrote a memo to donors in which he praised Never Back Down for its field operation and urged the group to focus on that going forward. But he implicitly suggested a newly formed pro-DeSantis super PAC, Fight Right, take the lead on TV advertising. Campaign officials believe the PAC’s TV ads have been ineffective, according to two people close to DeSantis and granted anonymity to speak freely.

"The campaign doesn't think NBD’s current interim leadership should be within a mile of a TV budget,” said one of the people close to DeSantis.

A Never Back Down representative declined to comment.

Turmoil within Never Back Down has broken out into the open in recent days. Last week, NBC News reported on a near-physical altercation between top Never Back Down strategist Jeff Roe and one of the organization’s board members Scott Wagner. It came amid word that Fight Right had emerged and would also be playing a role in bolstering DeSantis. Until that point, Never Back Down had been the sole pro-DeSantis entity, and the governor had leaned heavily on the organization for much of his campaign functions.

The disclosure of the Roe-Wagner fight incensed DeSantis campaign officials, who blamed Never Back Down.

"The last few weeks have caused the campaign to lose confidence in multiple top NBD officials as a result of poor performance as well as rampant leaking to push false, unauthorized narratives to the press,” the person close to the governor said.

Never Back Down has emerged as the highest-spending super PAC of the presidential campaign so far. According to media buying figures, the organization has spent more than $39 million on advertising. But there has been little evidence the barrage has helped, with DeSantis sliding back for months in public opinion polls. He is not only running far behind former President Donald Trump, but is locked in a battle for second with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The emergence of Fight Right has raised further questions about Never Back Down’s role in the campaign, and whether it will continue spending money on TV advertising. Uthmeier appeared to give Fight Right his full blessing to run TV commercials in his memo, writing that the group’s “emergence provides welcomed air support” and that its “mission could not have come at a better time.”

Since launching last month, Fight Right has spent more than $1 million in ads boosting the Florida governor.

Publicly, the DeSantis campaign suggests an unbroken alliance with Never Back Down. In a statement, deputy campaign manager David Polyansky praised the campaign’s “partnership” with Never Back Down and “the collective firepower of Team DeSantis.”

Privately, another confidant of DeSantis said of Never Back Down, “I’d expect to see them to continue to get sidelined.”

The New York Times first reported Laxalt’s departure from the PAC.