by Mary Lou Masters
Never Back Down, the political action committee (PAC) that intends on recruiting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024, hired a strategic communications director – another former aide to President Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.
Matt Wolking, former deputy communications director for the 2020 Trump campaign, will join the super PAC founded by former Trump official Ken Cuccinelli, according to the NYT. Wolking also served as a spokesman for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in his 2021 campaign.
“Trump was the president we needed 8 years ago, but to make America great again, our movement needs a disciplined leader who wins instead of loses, never backs down, fights smart, and puts the mission before himself,” Wolking said in a tweet. “On each count, Governor Ron DeSantis is the strongest choice.”
Wolking was also the vice president of communications at Axiom Strategies, home to political strategists Jeff Roe and Kristin Davis who were key advisors to Youngkin’s successful election. Roe has also joined the super PAC to support the Florida governor.
Never Back Down also hired former director of press communications for the 2020 Trump campaign, Erin Perrine, as the communications director, which she said she was “honored” to do.
Governor DeSantis is bold, effective, and knows how to finish the job, so with him as president we will finally be able to win so much that we’ll be tired of all the winning.
I'm proud to support him and join @NvrBackDown24 as strategic communications director.
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) March 27, 2023
“Never Back Down is the movement that will bring Gov. Ron DeSantis to the White House and never apologize for having courage in our convictions that Gov. DeSantis is ready to be the 47th president of the United States,” Perrine saidin a tweet.
Cuccinelli, who served as the Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under the Trump administration, started Never Back Down to draft DeSantis into the GOP primaries and “carry him to the White House.”
“The energy is there, grassroots conservatives see the Governor as a leader and a fighter with a winning conservative track record who will lead the Republican Party to victory in 2024. Based on those conversations, I am most confident that we will build an unmatched grassroots political army for Governor DeSantis to help carry him to the White House,” Cuccinelli said in a statement.
The PAC will reportedly serve as an outside funding resource for a potential DeSantis campaign, a clear indicator of the governor’s presidential intentions. Any funds Never Back Down raises can be directly funneled to his campaign if and when he runs for president.
DeSantis is widely expected to make a presidential announcement following the end of Florida’s legislative session in May.
“Matt is universally respected, at the top of his game, and will play a decisive role in Never Back Down achieving our strategic objectives and parlaying the desperate attacks poorly attempted by the former president and his shrinking number of allies,” Chris Jankowski, the PAC’s executive director, told the NYT.
Never Back Down did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Mary Lou Masters is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Matt Wolking” by Matt Wolking. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Christopher Ryan.
