11 months ago
The chief super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Never Back Down, has parted ways with its chief executive officer less than two weeks after she was picked to replace her predecessor.
Never Back Down split with Kristin Davison on Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The decision came just nine days after she replaced Chris Jankowski in the role. Others have also split with the super PAC in recent days, said the two people, who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear how widespread the other departures were.
The departures come amid widespread infighting inside the super PAC and ongoing conflict with the Florida governor’s campaign. The DeSantis campaign believes Never Back Down’s TV ads have been ineffective, those close to the governor say. Campaign manager James Uthmeier this week issued a memo implicitly suggesting the group focus on waging a get-out-the-vote program, rather than TV ads.
Polls have shown DeSantis continuing to trail far behind former President Donald Trump in the race for the GOP nomination, and locked in a battle for second place with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Never Back Down has also named Scott Wagner, a longtime DeSantis ally, to serve as its board chair. Wagner is replacing Adam Laxalt, a former Nevada Attorney General who resigned from his position last Sunday.
The super PAC has decided to focus on field deployment in the wake of Uthmeier’s memo, in the run-up to the Jan. 16 Iowa caucus, those familiar with the discussions said. A newly formed pro-DeSantis group, Fight Right, meanwhile, will be centering its efforts on TV advertising.
Davison and representatives for Never Back Down and the DeSantis campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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