Complaint accuses DeSantis campaign of illegally coordinating with Never Back Down

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A watchdog group that has already filed several complaints against Gov. Ron DeSantis is now alleging that the Florida Republican and a super PAC aiding his presidential bid violated federal campaign finance laws.

DeSantis’ reliance on Never Back Down, which was set up with an infusion of more than $80 million transferred from a committee that once was raising money for the governor’s 2022 reelection campaign, has already generated a lot of questions and scrutiny.

Never Back Down has used its resources to pay for a ground operation in the crucial state of Iowa and has routinely hosted events with DeSantis — a move that some suggested tested the legal limits.

Now, Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center wants federal election regulators to look at whether Never Back Down, which has been in turmoil lately amid a rash of firings and departures of top staff, including top strategist Jeff Roe, worked hand-in-hand with the DeSantis campaign despite federal laws that prohibit coordination between the two.

“When a super PAC like Never Back Down illegally coordinates its election spending with a candidate’s campaign, the super PAC effectively becomes an arm of the campaign,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center said in a statement. “That circumvents federal contribution limits and reporting requirements, and gives the super PAC’s special interest backers, including corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals, a concerning level of influence over elected officials and policymaking — undermining voters’ right to a meaningful and equitable role in the democratic process.”

Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign, called the complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission “baseless” and said it proves that opponents “will stoop to anything to stop him.”

“The FEC has made clear they won’t take action based upon unverified rumors and innuendo, and that’s the false information this politically motivated complaint is based on,” Romeo said in an email. “The left has tried to stop DeSantis in the past and failed, and they will fail again this time.”

Never Back Down Chair Scott Wagner, in a statement, said the super PAC fully complies with the law.

Campaign Legal Center has now filed a total of five complaints against DeSantis or his donors this year. Four complaints have been filed with the FEC, while a fifth was filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics concerning trips he took while promoting his book. None of the previous complaints have been resolved yet.

The government reform organization End Citizens United filed a complaint with the FEC back in June over the transfer of money from a state committee that was once connected to DeSantis’ gubernatorial race to Never Back Down.

Super PACs have been become a mainstay of the latest presidential cycle and several news accounts in recent weeks have detailed the back-and-forth between Never Back Down and the DeSantis campaign over frustrations over messaging. The complaint filed by Campaign Legal Center cites several of those news stories.