Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing off against his former ally, Jeff Roe, in a high-stakes battle over a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The feud has become personal, with animosity from the campaign spilling over into this fight.
DeSantis has been a vocal opponent of the initiative, spending significant sums of money to defeat it. However, Roe, a renowned GOP operative, is leading the charge to put the measure on the ballot. Roe’s firm, Axiom, has been paid over $58 million by the political committee advocating for the initiative, Smart and Safe Florida.
The two men once worked together, with Roe leading Never Back Down, the super PAC that backed DeSantis’ presidential primary campaign. However, their relationship soured after DeSantis’ presidential ambitions went up in flames. Those close to DeSantis had a falling out with the Roe-led team, with finger-pointing over a presidential campaign that did not go as well as anyone anticipated.
The battle has become personal, with three Republican operatives who previously worked for pro-DeSantis efforts saying the feud has gotten personal between the two men and their operations. One operative described the situation as “a drastic understatement,” while another said, “It has gotten personal on both sides… I think there is an appetite on Roe’s part to want to win and to show the world he is not that guy.”
DeSantis is spending serious political capital in an effort to stop two amendments from passing this November, including the marijuana legalization initiative and another that would enshrine abortion rights in the state. However, he faces an uphill battle, with a Fox News survey finding that 66% of Florida voters are in favor of marijuana legalization.
The involvement of Roe and his firm adds another wrinkle to the fight, with some arguing that DeSantis has been campaigning against the initiative “as if it’s his own name on the ballot.” The Florida Republican Party has officially come out against passing the measure, although GOP state Sen. Joe Gruters, a close Trump ally, has appeared in an ad supporting the effort.
The outcome of the battle will have significant implications for DeSantis’ political future, as well as the future of marijuana legalization in Florida.
