Pro-DeSantis Super PAC “Never Back Down” reportedly fired interim CEO Kristin Davison on Friday, just over a week after appointing her to the vacant position. Davison’s departure marked the most prominent of several recent high-level staffing changes for the organization, the primary political action committee funding the presidential ambitions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to a report from Politico, Davison was fired by Never Back Down on Friday over unspecified “management and personnel issues.” Just nine days prior to her termination, Davison had been brought on board to replace former chief executive Chris Jankowski, who resigned on November 22.
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At the time of his departure, Jankowski stated:
Never Back Down’s main goal and sole focus has been to elect Governor Ron DeSantis as President. Given the current environment it has become untenable for me to deliver on the shared goal and that goes well beyond a difference of strategic opinion. For the future of our country, I support and pray Ron DeSantis is our 47th president.
Kristin Davison, who served as Never Back Down’s chief operating officer, was called in to fill the vacancy. Davison is also employed by the PAC’s lead strategist, Jeff Roe, at his company Axiom Strategies, as are Never Back Down’s communications director Erin Perrine and director of operations Matt Palmisano — both of whom were fired alongside Davison.
Federal election law prohibits candidates and political action committees from directly coordinating, but Never Back Down has deployed Roe’s extensive resources for field operations ahead of the critical Iowa and New Hampshire Caucuses next month. However, with reports of a growing rift between the Florida governor and the PAC, as well as squabbling within the organization, those efforts may be in jeopardy.
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While the PAC did not provide details on the dismissals, it announced that board member and longtime DeSantis ally Scott Wagner will take up dual roles as interim CEO and board chairman. The latter role will cover the vacancy left by former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who left the organization on November 26.
Laxalt had served as board chairman for Never Back Down since April, joining immediately after his highly competitive but ultimately unsuccessful Senate race in 2022.
“After nearly 26 straight months of being in a full-scale campaign, I need to return my time and attention to my family and law practice,” Laxalt wrote in a letter to his fellow board members.
These high-profile staffing changes have further fueled rumors of division within the DeSantis campaign ahead of upcoming caucuses. Despite a promising campaign launch, Governor DeSantis has fallen well behind former President Donald Trump in the latest polls.
DeSantis now finds himself locked in a battle for second place with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who secured the support of the Americans for Prosperity Action PAC backed by the multi-billion-dollar Koch Network last week.
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