A former associate of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had to be restrained last week when tempers flared during a Super PAC strategy meeting aimed at countering former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s surge in the polls, according to a report.
The confrontation between Jeff Roe, a political consultant, and Scott Wagner, a former classmate of DeSantis at Yale University, took place last Tuesday during a small meeting organized by the pro-DeSantis group Never Back Down, according to NBC News.
“You’ve got a stick up your ass, Scott,” Roe yelled at Wagner.
To which Wagner responded, “Why don’t you come here and get it?”
Wagner, a former Yale football player, rose from his seat during the exchange and was restrained by two Never Back Down board members, according to the outlet.
Wagner, who is also a member of Never Back Down’s board of directors, and Roe, founder of the Republican political consulting firm Axiom Strategies, did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Wagner reportedly had to be restrained during a heated Never Back Down strategy meeting last week.X/Scott Wagner
The tension comes as DeSantis, once considered former President Donald Trump’s strongest opponent in the Republican Party presidential primaries, has faltered in recent polls.
Haley has edged out DeSantis in two early primary states, outpolling the Sunshine State governor by 11 points in New Hampshire and by more than 8 points in South Carolina, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average.
DeSantis remains in second place in Iowa, where he earned the endorsement of Hawkeye State Gov. Kim Reynolds, but he is nearly 30 points behind Trump and his lead over Haley has narrowed to 3 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
“You’ve got a stick up your ass, Scott,” Roe allegedly told Wagner during a tense exchange.X / Jeff Roe
Florida’s governor and his wife, Casey DeSantis, have become increasingly frustrated with Never Back Down’s leadership amid their struggle to gain traction in the polls, according to NBC News.
The super PAC is no longer running ads in Iowa amid concerns that voters are too easily connecting Never Back Down to DeSantis and that its ads are actually counterproductive for the governor, the report notes.
DeSantis follows Haley in New Hampshire and South Carolina.Getty Images
At the couple’s urging, a new DeSantis-aligned super PAC, Fight Right Inc., was launched after the near-boardroom brawl.
The group already has an ad running in Iowa comparing Haley to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Corrupt Hillary. But for Nikki Haley, she is her role model. The reason she ran for office,” the 30-second ad says.
A pro-DeSantis group ran ads in Iowa on Tuesday comparing Haley to Hillary Clinton.Getty Images
Fight Right Inc. reportedly received $1 million from Never Back Down, a move criticized by the group’s director, former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli.
“The manner in which the Haley coup and its financing appear to be proceeding is highly objectionable to me, and by this email I ask Cabell Hobbs, in his capacity as secretary of the board, to retain this email as part of the records of the board,” Cuccinelli said. he wrote in an email obtained by the outlet.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn