| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Never Back Down is embracing Florida first lady Casey DeSantis’ playbook in its latest move to boost Gov. Ron DeSantis’ candidacy. What it’s doing: The DeSantis-aligned super PAC is rolling out a parents' grassroots coalition in key states, acknowledging it’s inspired by how the first lady successfully turned out suburban moms to the polls in Florida during her husband’s 2022 reelection. The state chapters each have between five and 10 chairs, as well as 100 members per state, with the task to get even more parents organized so they'll commit to backing DeSantis. Casey DeSantis has been trying to appeal to suburban parents again, only nationally, under her Mamas for DeSantis campaign. She launched the initiative in July with a campaign video and merchandise. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also interviewed her about the movement she's trying to harness to improve her husband's standing in the primary. Never Back Down will try to supercharge the effort with its parallel movement, called the Parents Never Back Down coalition, building out in Virginia, New Hampshire and now South Carolina. More states are next. |  DES MOINES, IOWA - JULY 14: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (L) and Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, listen as Ron DeSantis speaks at the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Several Republican presidential candidates were scheduled to speak at the event, billed as “The Midwest’s largest gathering of Christians seeking cultural transformation in the family, Church, government, and more.” (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) | Getty Images |
This was coming: The super PAC’s leaders told a group of donors last month that amplifying Casey DeSantis was a must. “With her help, they convert an entire room,” Never Back Down chief operating officer Kristin Davison said in leaked audio first published by CNN. “She just brings a level of humility and warmness.”
Never Back Down says it will complement not only Mamas for DeSantis but groups like Moms for Liberty, the conservative parental rights organization that opposed masking students during the pandemic and challenges some lessons and books on race and sexual orientation in schools. Their target demographic: The super PAC says it’s aiming the effort at parents who are “fed up with the Woke Left pushing their radical ideology on America’s children from every angle.” It’s the same parents who grew angry over school closures during the pandemic and backed restrictions on progressive viewpoints in schools, particularly on topics related to race, gender and sexuality. In the playbook, Never Back Down is casting DeSantis as the fighter for families on these issues, which is how Casey DeSantis has portrayed him, too. What it means: The development shows just how central both groups have been to DeSantis as he struggles to win the GOP nomination. Whether it's working is another matter. Never Back Down has operated as a shadow campaign by organizing door knockers, hosting events and collecting endorsements for the governor. Meanwhile, DeSantis frequently turns to Moms for Liberty to fill government positions, even as recently as Wednesday (more on that below). The reward: It’s understandable that Never Back Down would try to appeal to suburban women given that they’re a key demographic former President Donald Trump lost in 2020. Also, it’s reaped benefits for them before. Members of Never Back Down leadership previously advised Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin during his successful 2021 gubernatorial campaign in his state, where they parlayed “Parents Matter” into a giant movement. The risk: But the suburbs are also becoming more diverse, and some donors openly worry DeSantis went too far with his Florida abortion ban and his bitter crusade against Walt Disney World. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is appearing on Iowa and New Hampshire radio stations in the morning and speaking with local reporters. DeSantis will interview in the second half of the 8 p.m. hour on Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters Primetime. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com | | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
MOMS FOR ETHICS? — DeSantis names Moms for Liberty co-founder to Florida ethics panel, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: The new commissioner is Tina Descovich, who is also a former school board member and runs a Florida political committee that helped some conservatives win local education elections in 2022. The move gives DeSantis a staunch GOP ally on the panel responsible for weighing complaints against public officials in the state. A second appointee to the ethics commission was Luis Fuste, an attorney in south Florida.
BALLOT BOX — Florida campaign to put abortion access on the ballot clears first milestone, by POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian: The campaign needs to gather at least 891,523 signatures in order to make the ballot. As of Wednesday, the group had collected 297,891 signed petitions, triggering a required review by the Supreme Court. MOODY — “Florida Attorney General’s opinion is sought in FAU presidential search,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Scott Travis: “The Board of Governors for the State University System plans to consider a request Friday to ask Attorney General Ashley Moody whether a process to narrow presidential candidates complied with the state Sunshine Law, which governs open meetings. It’s the latest wrinkle in a search process that the Board of Governors abruptly halted July 7 after Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System, questioned ‘anomalies’ in the search process. Critics say the search was upended because State Rep. Randy Fine, DeSantis’ pick for the job, was not among the top three finalists.” ALONE — “DeSantis’ high court makeover isolates longtime Florida justice,” by Bloomberg Law’s Alex Ebert and Jennifer Kay: “Heading into Friday’s blockbuster Supreme Court argument over abortion rights, Jorge Labarga — one of only two justices not appointed by DeSantis — stands out for his willingness to buck the party line. His allies describe him as a throwback to a bygone era of centrism and compromise.” MANATEE DEATHS APPEAR TO BE SLOWING — Data the Miami Herald reviewed from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows Florida lost 431 manatees this year, a decrease from 669 in 2022 and 928 in 2021. The manatees died of starvation when seagrass became more scarce, but were also killed by boating accidents and red-tide toxins. — “What happens when you’re almost out of testosterone — and you live in Florida,” by Slate’s Nico Lang — “In a post-Roe country, a Florida doctor wonders where to call home,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lauren Peace | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | |
LEE LATEST — “Hurricane Lee expected to be ‘extremely dangerous’ by Friday,” by CBS News: “Forecasters say it's too soon to project the extent of its potential impact might look like, but for now the Leeward Islands, where the Caribbean and Atlantic meet, should stay alert.”
Via the Miami Herald: “Although the National Hurricane Center’s forecast only covers the next five days, long-range storm models have been in agreement that the storm could turn north next week before it approaches land. But exactly when it could turn, and if the models will bear out, remains to be seen.” |  A storm-damaged gas station is reflected in a puddle after Hurricane Idalia crossed the state on August 30, 2023 in Perry, Florida. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images |
LOGJAM ON DISASTER FUNDING — Recovery from Hurricane Idalia will take longer if Congress doesn’t soon replenish federal funding for disaster relief. But the dollars are locked into a political battle back in Washington, D.C. The White House wants Congress to send President Joe Biden a bill that would encapsulate funding to address disasters and for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, while Florida GOP Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott insist on decoupling the funding.
Scott and Rubio sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urging a swift vote on their standalone bill, but Scott told POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy that he hadn’t heard from the New York Democrat since then. “We've had a lot of states that are impacted by disasters,” Scott said. “So hopefully, there'll be bipartisan support to get this done. I'm trying.” STILL WAITING — DeSantis on Wednesday urged the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to approve a federal fisheries emergency declaration so the Big Bend area can rebuild after Hurricane Idalia, but he also reminded the agency that the declaration he requested for Hurricane Ian a year ago still hasn’t been approved. BACK TO SCHOOL — All school districts are officially reopened today following closures due to Idalia, the governor’s office said. | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | |
THIS JUST IN — A new internal online poll of Miami-Dade County suggests Democratic Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is well positioned as she heads into her 2024 reelection. The results, assembled by campaign senior advisor Christian Ulvert, show Levine Cava is starting out with a 35-point lead over GOP challenger Manny Cid, the mayor of Miami Lakes, and that more than 60 percent of voters strongly or somewhat approve of her job performance.
— What the DeSantis super PAC has learned from its spending spree, and how they hope it will turn around his campaign, by Sasha Issenberg for POLITICO CONFIRMED — “Ron DeSantis returned to the campaign trail with two fundraisers in Pennsylvania this week,” by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Julia Terruso: The governor “raised about $400,000 in a fundraising swing through Pennsylvania on Tuesday… He met with donors at a luncheon in Harrisburg and an evening reception in Pittsburgh.” TALKING POINT — “DeSantis is taking aim at ‘zombie studies’ on the campaign trail. It’s a real thing,” by CNBC’s Annie Nova: Several colleges offer “classes on zombies, as well as a growing body of academic research, CNBC found. Scholars in the field defend the subject, pointing out that zombies are an important symbol in our culture, with ramifications for the U.S. criminal justice system, the history of slavery, neuroscience and more.” COPYCAT — “Haley team blasts DeSantis, Ramaswamy as ‘Trump-lite,’” by Axios’ Alex Thompson: “‘From DeSantis's 'territorial dispute' [on the Russia-Ukraine war] comments to, well, everything about Ramaswamy, both seem to think copying Trump is the path to success,’ Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney wrote in a memo.” | | | DATELINE D.C. | | |
BLUE CHECKED — A government report on U.S. House members’ office spending shows a total of 24 U.S. House members are using taxpayer dollars to fund their official X Premium accounts, according to a report from Insider. Two Floridians are on the list — Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart — though there could be more because the report only encompasses spending up to June. An account with X accounts costs $8 a month or $84 for one year.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | |
FLIPPED — “Mar-a-Lago tech worker cut deal to aid government in Trump classified papers case, defense lawyer says,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s David Lyons: “The worker, identified in court papers as ‘Trump Employee 4’ but reported by various media outlets as Yuscil Taveras, cut his deal after lawyers working for special counsel Jack Smith threatened to prosecute him, according to a filing by Washington, D.C., lawyer Stanley Woodward Jr., who represents Trump valet and co-defendant Waltine Nauta.”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
LONDON-BOUND — “Florida man arrested by Coast Guard for trying to cross Atlantic in human-sized hamster wheel,” by Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten: “According to a criminal complaint, 44-year-old Reza Baluchi is facing federal charges after he was rescued 70 miles off Tybee Island, Georgia by coast guard officials. The marathoner was found on August 26 in his bizarre hamster wheel contraption and asked ‘standard questions.’”
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