TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The last time Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ran against former President Donald Trump, he had one of the most powerful operatives in Republican politics on his side.
But now, as Trump lines up with DeSantis in a battle over a high-profile ballot plan to legalize marijuana in Florida, the governor’s old ally Jeff Roe is trying to take on Trump. There is.
The well-known Republican operative has built his reputation on a one-stop political firm that brings in tens of millions of dollars each election cycle, and previously co-founded Never, the super PAC supporting Mr. DeSantis’ presidential primary campaign. He led Buck Down. Prior to that, Mr. Roe helped Mr. DeSantis raise money for his unlikely gubernatorial bid in 2018.
But relations soured after DeSantis’ presidential ambitions flared. Those close to Mr. DeSantis have fallen out with Mr. Roe’s team running Never Back Down over his presidential campaign, which did not go as well as everyone expected.
Now, nearly a year after that explosion, Roe is on the verge of winning the 60% voter approval needed to add recreational marijuana legalization to the Florida Constitution. is something that DeSantis has spent a great deal of political and political money to forcefully oppose. You’re going to waste taxpayers’ money.
Three Republican operatives who previously worked with pro-DeSantis efforts said the fight became personal between the two men and their operations, and that hostility from the campaign spilled over into the fight. .
A source said: “To say the feud has become personal would be a huge understatement.” “This effort itself is politically very important to DeSantis, but all of this adds an additional incentive.”
“It became personal for both parties,” another source said. “So, towards the end of[the presidential campaign]DeSantis executives and associates were going around the state, if not all over the country, talking about Roe, wasting money, and the governor’s office. So I think Law has a desire to win and to show the world that he’s not that guy. I think there are people at DeSantis who are really angry with Jeff.”
Major groups opposing the amendment and Mr. DeSantis’ office declined to comment on the matter. Mr. Low also declined to comment.
Mr. DeSantis has spent significant political capital trying to block the passage of two amendments this November: one to legalize recreational marijuana and one to legislate the right to abortion in the state. . The latter would rescind the state’s six-week abortion ban, one of the governor’s most important legislative achievements.
But DeSantis has a fight ahead of him.
A Fox News poll in June found that 66% of Florida voters support legalizing marijuana, compared to just 32% who oppose it. This was before President Trump announced his support for the marijuana initiative. (As for the abortion bill, Trump was a little confused, but ultimately said in August that, as a Florida resident, he would vote against it in line with DeSantis’ position.)
An ally of Mr. DeSantis said the battle over recreational marijuana is “tough. It’s an uphill battle.” “The opponent has a huge amount of money. Over $100 million. So any time you’re up against that amount of money, it’s obviously going to be a tough fight.”
However, the involvement of Law and his company Axiom adds another wrinkle to the battle. Their involvement was first reported last year when Mr. DeSantis was still running for president. And as Acxiom officials pointed out, the company began work on the initiative in 2022, and the company’s work on the initiative became clear to DeSantis before Roe signed on to lead a super PAC supporting his candidacy. It was being made into. problem.
“No, it was not unpleasant,” an Axiom official said of working against DeSantis on the issue. “We knew from the beginning where the governor stood on this position, and we knew he was very supportive of the industry and helped establish medical cannabis infrastructure and guidance in the state. I also know that.”
The person added that DeSantis is campaigning against the initiative “as if his name were on the ballot.”
“This ballot initiative has the support of President Trump and many other Republican leaders,” the person said. “That’s clearly different from (DeSantis’) opinion.”
Other prominent DeSantis supporters may also find themselves in politically difficult positions. Tallahassee-based lobbying firm Ballard Partners and Capital City Consulting, both allies who supported Mr. DeSantis’ presidential campaign, are funding the amendment, including Florida-based medical marijuana companies. He is representing the company Trulieve. Both companies confirmed to NBC News that they have Mr. Trulieve as a lobbying client but are not involved in the reform effort.
Anthony Farhat, a Florida-based Republican donor and home builder who knows Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Roe, said there is no doubt there is tension between the two, but the perception of the rivalry is actually different for each. He said he believes the problem may be caused by staff working for the company. By Law and DeSantis themselves.
“I don’t think Ron or Jeff wake up in the morning and think about each other,” he says. “Maybe it was the lower class people or the staff, but I think to some extent the characters were the ones who caused the fire.”
“I never heard Jeff say a crossword about Ron. Quite the opposite,” he added.
Smart and Safe Florida, a political committee advocating for marijuana legislation, had raised $100 million by September, almost all of which came from Trulieve. The commission has paid out more than $58 million to Roe’s companies since January 2023. Florida Republicans have officially opposed passage of the bill, but Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, a close Trump ally, has appeared in ads supporting the effort.
“Amendment 3 has broad support from Democrats, Republicans, liberals, and independents across Florida because it upholds the protection of personal liberties and eliminates unnecessary arrests of adults for simple marijuana possession. ,” said Morgan Hill, spokesperson for Smart and Safe Florida. said in a statement.
In fighting the effort, Mr. DeSantis and his allies have emphasized the message that many public spaces could smell of marijuana if the plan passes.
“The Governor’s Office hates Trulieb. I think it’s directly related to the amendment and Roe, but I’m not sure if they’ve had that level of notoriety before,” said a former DeSantis supporter. The three spoke. “As far as the team goes, I can definitely say it’s seen (as a personal rivalry).”
The person said DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Usmayer, and his political allies would relish the opportunity to defeat Roe because they believe he helped sink his presidential campaign. said.
“And I think[Law]feels the same way,” the source said.
Usmayer declined to comment.
But Farhat, a Republican donor who knows both Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Roe, said the conflict is not as bitter as some think. He likened the situation to when legendary quarterback Tom Brady left his longtime team, the Robert Kraft-owned New England Patriots.
“If you compare it to sports, I think it’s like the relationship between Robert Kraft and Tom Brady,” he said. “They’re both Patriots through and through, but he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl. (Brady) went to New England and wasn’t afraid to win games there.”
“But when it was all over, they embraced it,” Farhat added.
Matt Dixon reported from Tallahassee, Florida. Alan Smith reported from New York.
