Jeff Roe, the chief strategist for Ron DeSantis’s Super PAC Never Back Down, has taken responsibility for co-ordinating online attacks and spreading dirt on the Republican outsider and DeSantis’ rival, Vivek Ramaswamy. Roe undertook similarly dirty tactics in 2016 against then-candidate Ben Carson.
In a leaked conversation before the recent GOP primary debate, Roe told a number of DeSantis donors and supporters, “Everything you read about [Ramaswamy) is from us… Every misstatement, every 360 he’s conducting or 180 that he is going through in life, is from our scrutiny and pressure. And so, he’s not going to go through that very well, and that will get worse for him.”
Roe, who runs the legally embattled Axiom Strategies, also admitted to his audience that “a big night” for Ramaswamy may prove problematical for the Florida Governor, who required a breakout moment during the debate. The opposite happened, however, with Ramaswamy dominating national and international media coverage, handing DeSantis a rather forgettable performance.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for Ramaswamy, responded: “America watched Vivek dominate the debate stage, it’s no wonder Never Back Down is pissing away another $20+ million after Labor Day.”
Roe recently demanded another $50 million from donors, as his PAC shifts resources to Iowa with a $12 million ad spend, and an admission that he has fewer than 60 days to defeat Donald Trump.
