(NewsNation) — A Ron DeSantis super PAC has closed after donors pulled out and the founder said the Florida governor was guilty of “rookie” mistakes.
Republican strategist John Thomas founded “Ron to the Rescue” and collected $50 million from wealthy donors but, as the Daily Mail reported, he has switched his allegiance to former President Donald Trump.
The super PAC was never formally affiliated with the DeSantis campaign, which was instead coordinating with the “Never Back Down” PAC. Communications Director Andrew Romeo spoke out against the PAC.
“We’ve made clear from the beginning that this was a scam PAC looking to grift off Ron DeSantis and it comes as welcome news they are no longer attempting to fleece our donors,” Romeo said.”Ron DeSantis outraised both Biden and Trump last quarter, and we look forward to continuing our fundraising success as we capitalize on his strong debate performance and momentum in the early states.”
The DeSantis campaign also warned voters against donating to the PAC in November.
Thomas spoke with NewsNation about the decision to switch allegiances. Initially, Thomas said, it appeared DeSantis could pull in Republican loyalists who backed a Trump-like agenda as well as non-traditional GOP voters that Trump has had difficulty attracting.
“While he may be a great governor, he’s not ready for the national stage,” Thomas said.
Thomas also noted that Trump is still performing well with voters despite facing four indictments, one in New York, one in Georgia and two in federal court.
“We think that Donald Trump in spite of all of his legal challenges, has honestly run nearly a flawless effort with strategic ad spends against his opponent DeSantis,” Thomas said.
He called the decision to back DeSantis a miscalculation.
“What makes somebody good for one office, the skills don’t directly translate to another, for instance, when you’re running for governor or Congress, oftentimes, the main skills you need are the ability to raise money and roll television ads,” Thomas said. “When you run for president, retail politicking, charisma, charm, discipline, being able to conduct yourself in a likable manner on television interviews, those are all equal, if not more important, than your ability to roll TV ads and DeSantis just hasn’t had that.”
This article has been updated to include a statement from the DeSantis campaign.