Desantis Super PAC Ends Door-Knocking Operations in Nevada

Never Back Down, the super PAC behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘ presidential campaign, has ended its door-knocking operations in Nevada. The decision, confirmed today by officials, was driven by the Nevada GOP’s decision to hold a separate caucus from the state-legislated primary, a move they believe is a “pro-Trump effort to tilt the primary rules in his favor.”

Multiple sources confirmed to NBC news that the super PAC sought “more impactful tactics” and may build out the teams in Nevada again as the presidential primary/GOP caucus approaches. The PAC blasted the Nevada GOP’s decision to move forward with a caucus instead of a primary with PAC spokeswoman Erin Perrine referring to Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald as a “Trump puppet.”

As reported by NBC news:

Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, has ceased its door-knocking operations in Nevada, home to a key early nominating contest, and California, a delegate-rich Super Tuesday state, officials confirmed Wednesday.

What’s more, super PAC officials said the decisions to pull out of Nevada and California were driven by what they see as pro-Trump efforts to tilt the primary rules in his favor and make it less likely that a rival could knock him off.

Erin Perrine, a spokesperson for the super PAC, told NBC News blasted Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald as a “Trump puppet” who is “conducting that caucus/primary, primary/caucus routine that he’s doing.”

“When you have that kind of uncertainty about how the election’s going to be conducted, that becomes a pretty unstable environment to be investing the kind of resources that we’re investing,” she said.

McDonald did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nevada GOP Chairman Michael Macdonald did respond to The Globe and fired back at Perrine and the PAC’s decision.

“Regarding Perrine’s comments about me,  I have been called worse by better. The Never Back Down super PAC clearly doesn’t understand that the caucus is not about a candidate. The caucus is about election integrity, which the Republican party has been leading the charge on for several years. Republicans throughout Nevada do not trust the electoral system, a system that was radically changed by the Democratic legislative majority in an emergency session of the legislature during the pandemic…mail in ballots, voting for days, extended deadlines for counting and curing ballots, no voter ID….

This all came to a head when Governor Lombardo put forward a series of election integrity bills and the Democrats never granted the Governor’s legislation a hearing. I’ve never seen this happen before in Nevada where a sitting governor is completely ignored or blocked by the legislature.

In response to their tactics, the Nevada Republican Party is proud to show how an election can and should be conducted. The RNC recently passed a resolution that affirms our commitment to a single Election Day, conducted on paper ballots in precinct based voting, with Voter ID. These fundamental components of a secure election are mandatory in a caucus – but missing from a Democrat run election in Nevada. Our voters don’t trust the Democrats to run a fair or transparent election. If the Democrats do it their way, we won’t have the results for weeks until after the primary is done. On the night of the caucus, we will have the results. We have an agreement with the RNC and other states that we are third, not South Carolina.

Nevada has had a caucus since 1981, and we are proud to continue the legacy of grassroots engagement that is quintessential to Nevada. We are First in the West and third in the nation and for Erin Perrine to have done so little research on the Battle Born state to be unaware of this is to be quite frank, embarrassing.

We are taken aback that the Never Back Down PAC is carrying the water for the Democrats, attacking Voter ID, and supporting mass-mail Democrat ballots counted in the secret back rooms.”

The Nevada GOP is appealing their case to the state Supreme Court after a Carson City judge ruled against their challenge to a new law, passed by the Democratic majority, that created presidential primary elections. The party will now hold a caucus on February 8th, two days after the presidential primary on February 6th and following the Iowa caucus and primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina.