The super PAC, Never Back Down, has played a critical role in the Florida governor’s campaign and has been undergoing a staffing upheaval in recent weeks.
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Never Back Down, the super PAC that supports Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign, has brought back an adviser, Phil Cox, after his departure just months ago.
The super PAC that has been supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign has brought back an adviser who left the group months ago, the fourth major change at the highest ranks of the organization in recent weeks.
The adviser, Phil Cox, had left the super PAC, Never Back Down, this spring and is now coming back to the group, according to an email that Scott Wagner, the PAC’s board chairman, sent Wednesday. Mr. Cox will return as a senior adviser and will oversee Never Back Down’s “budget, field and turnout operation,” the email said.
Mr. Wagner’s message also announced the elevation of a handful of other staff members but did not mention who would fill a prominent vacancy: its chief executive.
The return of Mr. Cox marks the latest shake-up at Never Back Down and comes as Mr. DeSantis has been struggling to slow the momentum of Nikki Haley, who has surged in polls after strong debate performances. The rolling turmoil inside an organization that has played a critical role in shaping Mr. DeSantis’s candidacy has been a behind-the-scenes distraction as the Iowa caucuses quickly approach in January.
First, the super PAC’s chief executive, Chris Jankowski, resigned before Thanksgiving. Then the chairman of the group, Adam Laxalt, resigned. Then Kristin Davison, who had been named chief executive days earlier, was fired over the weekend, along with two other senior officials.
Mr. Cox, who had served in a top role on Mr. DeSantis’s 2022 re-election campaign for Florida governor, had left the super PAC when it became clear that Jeff Roe, a veteran Republican strategist who was Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign manager in the 2016 presidential race, would have operational control of the group.
At the time, Mr. Cox’s firm was involved with the Saudi-backed LIV golf network, which also had a financial relationship with former President Donald J. Trump’s company. Mr. Roe’s firm, Axiom Strategies, had represented the PGA Tour, a rival to the LIV network.
Mr. Cox stepped down from his role as an unpaid adviser with Never Back Down shortly after he was on the same golf course the same day as Mr. Trump. While Mr. DeSantis was said not to have been pleased with Mr. Cox at various points, Mr. Cox is close to others advising the former governor, and he was said to have begun informally helping the campaign in recent months.
Andrew Romeo, the DeSantis campaign’s communications director, praised Mr. Cox in a statement. The super PAC has been doing much of the work that traditionally has fallen to campaigns, including coordinating events, handling travel logistics and financing research and polling.
“Phil is a talented political operative, and we are glad to have his and all of Never Back Down’s independent support as Ron DeSantis hits the closing stretch in Iowa,” Mr. Romeo’s statement read. “The more loyal supporters of the governor who step up to advance the mission, the better.”
Mr. Roe’s fate and role at Never Back Down is unclear. Ms. Davison had been his top deputy.
The super PAC and Mr. Roe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Cox also did not respond to a request for comment.
Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent and the author of “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” She was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. More about Maggie Haberman
Shane Goldmacher is a national political reporter and was previously the chief political correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times, he worked at Politico, where he covered national Republican politics and the 2016 presidential campaign. More about Shane Goldmacher
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Source: nytimes.com
