A longtime 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 clash between Jeff Roe, a political consultant, and Scott Wagner, a former classmate of DeSantis’ at Yale University, took place last Tuesday during a small gathering organized by pro-DeSantis group Never Back Down, according to NBC News.
“You have a stick up your a–, Scott,” Roe seethed at Wagner.
To which Wagner responded, “Why don’t you come over here and get it?”
Wagner, a former football player at Yale, 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 Never Back Down board member, and Roe, the founder of GOP political consulting firm Axiom Strategies, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The tension comes as DeSantis, once believed to be former President Donald Trump’s strongest opponent in the GOP presidential primary race, has floundered in recent polling.
Haley has leapfrogged DeSantis in two early primary states, polling ahead of the Sunshine State governor by 11 points in New Hampshire and by more than 8 points in South Carolina, according to a RealClearPolitics average of surveys.
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DeSantis remains in second place in Iowa – where he snagged the endorsement of Hawkeye State Gov. Kim Reynolds – but he trails Trump by nearly 30 points and his lead over Haley has dwindled to 3 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
The Florida governor and his wife, Casey DeSantis, have grown increasingly frustrated with Never Back Down’s leadership amid his struggle to gain momentum in the polls, according to NBC News.
The super PAC is no longer running ads in Iowa amid concerns that voters too easily connect Never Back Down to DeSantis and their spots are actually backfiring on the governor, the report notes.
At the couple’s urging, a new DeSantis-aligned super PAC – Fight Right Inc. – was launched in the aftermath of the near boardroom brawl.
The group already has an ad running in Iowa comparing Haley to former Secretary of State Hillary Cliinton. “Crooked Hillary. But to Nikki Haley, she’s her role model. The reason she ran for office,” the 30-second spot states.
Fight Right Inc. was reportedly seeded with $1 million from Never Back Down, a move blasted by the group’s director, former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli.
“The manner in which the Haley hit and its funding appears to be proceeding is exceedingly objectionable to me, and by this email I ask Cabell Hobbs, in his capacity as Board Secretary, to preserve this email as part of the board records,” Cuccinelli wrote in an email obtained by the outlet.
