The simmering race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is now dominated by the declared candidate, former President Trump, and likely front-runner Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. .
Trump, who is running for the White House for the third time and sees DeSantis as his biggest rival for the nomination, has called for an attack on the Florida governor as his own legal troubles mount amid looming indictments. We are strengthening. he is returning fire
The committee, called the Never Back Down PAC, released a video this week titled “Waco Crickets.” The video focused on media reports showing that the loud and boisterous crowd at Trump’s rally in Waco, Texas this past weekend has all but gone quiet at the former rally. The president repeatedly attacked the governor of Florida.
The video, which was first shared with Fox News, was originally shot by Never Back Down towards Trump. Multiple sources say the Super PAC has the Florida governor’s tacit blessing, and currently he’s on the sidelines in 2024, but plans to start the presidential race later this year.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)
What makes the storyline all the more engaging and complex is that the Super PAC is staffed with a plethora of political operative-class stalwarts, including Trump campaign and White House veterans.
Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia Attorney General, 2013 Republican gubernatorial nominee, and later acting director of Homeland Security during the final two years of the Trump administration, chairs the Super PAC.
The week DeSantis started speaking out against Trump
Two veterans of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, Erin Perrin and Matt Woking, joined Never Back Down this past week for top communications jobs.
Trump supporters from the former president’s political trajectory downplayed the pro-DeSantis PAC recruits.
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, Monday, March 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)
“They’re basically rallying the people who lost the 2020 election, whereas our campaign is rallying the people who won the 2016 election,” to speak more freely. A political operative in Trump’s politics who asked to remain anonymous said.
Another strategist in Trump’s orbit, who also requested anonymity, said, “I think they’re about to have a disrespectful awakening.”
When asked by Fox News about his reaction to the growing list of former Trump administration officials and campaign aides joining the Super PAC, 2024 Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan said: I was.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month, Cuccinelli said he told Trump he planned to chair a new super PAC backing DeSantis.
“We texted back and forth. He texted me the night before we announced it. Tells me it’s probably not a coincidence. It was friendly.” terminology,” said Cuccinelli.
But he added, “I haven’t heard from Trump since.”
Woking, who led the Trump 2020 campaign’s rapid response and war room team, explained his move in a tweet, saying, “Trump was the president we needed eight years ago, but he’s making America great again.” To do that, our movement needs a disciplined leader who wins.Instead of losing, he never backs down, fights wisely, and puts the mission before himself.In each respect, Governor Ron DeSantis is the best choice.”
Perrine, Trump 2020 director of press communications, told Fox News, “The policies President Trump pursued were worth four more years at the time, but he lost the White House and has since lost the House and the House. After losing the Senate race, it’s time for a change.”
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“Governor Ron DeSantis never backs down from conservative principles. He has a record of success and a personal story of head-to-shoulder service in the field in 2024. The only person who can beat Trump and Joe Biden is to make sure Americans never apologize for the greatness and success of our country again,” she stressed.
The new Super PAC connection expands beyond Trump’s world.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz speaks at a donor conference hosted by the conservative group Club for Growth in Palm Beach, Fla., March 3, 2023. (Fox News)
Veteran Republican strategist Jeff Low, who leads the Formidable Axiom Strategy, joined the Never Back Down PAC last week as a senior adviser. Law, a longtime political adviser to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, served as top campaign consultant when the conservative senator battled Trump hard for the 2016 Republican nomination and was runner-up to the former president. became a person
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Chris Wilson, a veteran Republican pollster who participated in the Cruz 2016 campaign, will lead Never Back Down’s data efforts.
Cruz initially said he would run for president again in 2024, but since last fall he has made it clear that he will run for re-election in the Senate next year.
Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks on behalf of Republican Virginia Governor Brian Kemp at the Kemp reelection rally in Alpharetta, Georgia on September 27, 2022. (Fox News)
Roe is also a political adviser to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Roe and his Axiom Strategies played a key role behind the scenes in Youngkin’s victory in his 2021 gubernatorial election. Wolking also participated in his Youngkin’s 2021 campaign, and Kristen Davidson, his consultant at Axiom head and Youngkin’s principal advisor, also participated in his Never Back Down.
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Critics see Youngkin as a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, but Law and Davidson’s move to join the super PAC casts further questions on the Virginia governor’s national ambitions.
Youngkin, who is now very focused on the task of running Virginia, has repeatedly said he hopes the Republicans will win control of the state Senate in this November’s election. Additionally, people close to Yankin say his former consultant’s move should not be taken as an indication of what the governor of Virginia might (or might not) do regarding the 2024 election. increase.
