Ron DeSantis battles his onetime ally in a bid to stop marijuana legalization in Florida
As Ron DeSantis tries to stop a high-profile ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida, the governor’s old ally, Jeff Roe, is working against him.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The last time Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was fighting former President Donald Trump, he had one of the most powerful operatives in Republican politics punching alongside him.
But now, as Trump lines up against DeSantis in a battle over a high-profile ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida, the governor’s old ally, Jeff Roe, is working against him.
The renowned GOP operative, whose reputation is built on a one-stop political firm that brings in tens of millions of dollars each election cycle, once led Never Back Down, a super PAC that backed DeSantis’ presidential primary campaign. Prior to that, Roe helped raise money for DeSantis’ long-shot gubernatorial bid in 2018.
The relationship, however, soured after DeSantis’ presidential ambitions went up in flames. Those close to DeSantis had a falling out with the Roe-led team that ran Never Back Down, with finger-pointing over a presidential campaign that did not go as well as anyone anticipated.
Now, roughly a year after that blowup, Roe is on the verge of potentially getting the 60% voter approval needed to add the legalization of recreational marijuana to the Florida constitution, something DeSantis has forcefully opposed and spent significant sums of money — both political and taxpayer dollars — trying to defeat.
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