Never Back Down

Never Back Down had nearly $97 million available to spend as of the end of June 2023, according to the second quarter filings — a figure that far surpasses the super PACs supporting his rivals - including Donald Trump. The funds Never Back Down has raised, however, are overwhelmingly drawn from an $82 million transfer from the Florida-based political committee that backed DeSantis’ reelection bid for the governorship in Florida. The super PAC has run eight television ads, the latest of which promotes DeSantis’ biography of having “worked his way through college” before becoming captain of the Yale baseball team and serving in Iraq. It ends with the image of DeSantis reading to his young kids — all part of the push to educate voters more about the man behind the culture warrior. At least $16.5 million of the super PAC’s spending has gone to companies all listed at the same Kansas City, Missouri address, and all associated with Jeff Roe, chief strategist for Never Back Down. The super PAC said that one of those companies, AxMedia, is charging a smaller fee for ad buys than what the super PAC said is typical for the industry. The group has also pointed to another one of Roe’s companies, Axiom Strategies, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of services and travel to the super PAC, which are listed as in-kind contributions in the finance records. None of the consultants or other vendors are making commissions, Never Back Down said.