Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s presidential campaign has been hit with harsh criticism from former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who described it as “somewhat of a disaster.”
What Happened: Hogan’s disparaging remarks followed a leaked memo from a pro-DeSantis political action committee (PAC), Never Back Down, outlining their debate strategy for DeSantis ahead of the first televised GOP primary event, reported The Hill.
“Well, the campaign is somewhat of a disaster. And, I mean, it's been one stumble after another since the failed launch of it on Twitter when he first kicked off his campaign,” Hogan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He further criticized the PAC’s unconventional use of super PAC tactics. "But they're trying to utilize the super PAC in ways that you really — nobody has in the past. And so the super PAC is spending most of the money, and they're crossing over into territory where they can't share information with the campaign, so they put it out there for the campaign to utilize."
See Also: Ex-White House Lawyer’s Prediction On Trump’s Surrender In Georgia: ‘He Won’t Enjoy It’
Why It Matters: DeSantis has since distanced himself from the Never Back Down PAC memo and claimed he had not read it. The unusual move by the super PAC to release a detailed strategy memo raised eyebrows. The strategy proposed in the memo included defending Donald Trump in the upcoming debate and taking a strong stance against candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
DeSantis’ campaign denied knowledge of the memo when it was leaked on Thursday, maintaining that DeSantis is the strongest candidate to counter Joe Biden, despite media and other candidates’ attacks.
This development follows a series of setbacks for DeSantis’s presidential campaign. Earlier this month, following a dip in polling numbers, DeSantis made adjustments to his campaign team. This was shortly after a major donor to Never Back Down, Robert Bigelow, threatened to withdraw support unless DeSantis adopted a more moderate approach and attracted new major donors.
In March, Hogan, a known critic of Trump, decided not to run in 2024 and criticized the media attention received by Trump and DeSantis.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com
Read Next: Trump’s Niece Says Ex-President’s Attacking Strategy Not Working But He’s ‘Pushing The Envelope’
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
