 REUTERS/Marco BelloTHE NEWS A super PAC urging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024 is gearing up to take on Donald Trump in the new year by any means necessary. “Ron to the Rescue,” founded by Republican strategist John Thomas, emerged just after the midterms with an ad declaring that “America needs Ron DeSantis” and pitching his success as Joe Biden’s failure to keep a good state down. But they’re also preparing to go on offense if the cold war between Ron and Don turns into a hot one. “We’re not afraid to take the gloves off,” Thomas told Semafor. “If the former president decides to get nasty with DeSantis … we will defend the governor.” Thomas isn’t a “Never Trumper,” he insisted, nor is he a blind DeSantis superfan. As recently as August, he thought the Florida governor shouldn’t run for president after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and the party seemed to be rallying back to Trump’s side. But the midterm results, which featured a strong performance by DeSantis and a series of losses among Trump-backed candidates, convinced him it was time to go all-in. “Ron to the Rescue” is not sanctioned by DeSantis’s inner circle — the governor’s representatives have made clear publicly that they are operating independently, and not just in the technical legal sense. “Whether well intentioned or not, the organizers of these PACs have not been in contact with DeSantis leadership and such efforts may create confusion amongst supporters of the Governor and his policies,” DeSantis’ counsel wrote in a memo last month. Still, Thomas is hoping his group can act as a command center for DeSantis surrogates during the potentially long, awkward period in which Trump has the field mostly to himself. Thomas says they expect to name state chairs with Trump ties and roll out a number of former senior Trump administration officials to act as surrogates in January. Thomas said that the super PAC will try to “exploit some of the former president’s vulnerabilities” and contrast him with DeSantis on topics like Trump’s relationship to Dr. Anthony Fauci, his COVID-19 policies, and the Second Amendment, where Thomas pointed to Trump’s ban on bump stocks. But perhaps the biggest point of contrast is the argument that talking heads, some Republicans, and polls have been making for months now — that of electability. “Trump can’t win,” Thomas said. “And we’re going to remind voters of what they already know to be true — that he’s lost the last three elections, or three and a half elections if you count the runoff.” Beyond coordinating on-air fights with Trump, Thomas is working to build up a volunteer grassroots list that can be given to DeSantis should he decide to run and plans to scoop up operatives who could become part of an official campaign later on. “We’re going to basically put them all on retainer and have them start organizing, but more importantly, we’re taking them off the table so they don’t go to work for Trump,” Thomas said. SHELBY’S VIEW: It remains to be seen whether “Ron to the Rescue” takes off — they’re hoping to raise over $50 million by the end of 2023, a far cry from the “low seven figures” Thomas says they’ve already pulled in. But the election is also unlikely to be decided by super PACs. In 2016, Trump annihilated rivals like Jeb Bush despite their flush outside support. If DeSantis himself can’t stand up to him onstage and rebut him on the trail, all the money in the world won’t save him. ROOM FOR DISAGREEMENT While Trump has survived key stretches without a traditional campaign or outside super PAC in the past, many of his own former staff and supporters have told me his latest campaign rollout has been disastrous and that he looks more vulnerable than at any point since 2016. He may have a harder time shouting down a well-coordinated organization, especially when much of conservative media seems sympathetic to DeSantis so far. | 
