Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests at the Republican Party of Marathon County Lincoln Day Dinner annual fundraiser on May 06, 2023 in Rothschild, Wisconsin.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Washington Post reported that paid canvassers are supporting Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
Some canvassers ignore “no solicitation” signs and argue with voters.
In one conflict, captured via Ring camera, a door knocker told a voter he was “a little stoned” as he worked.
Paid door knockers meant to spread the word of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president may be turning off voters with their unprofessional behavior.
The Washington Post reported that canvassers, paid for by the Never Back Down PAC supporting DeSantis’ presidential run, have been showing up to voters’ homes wearing ripped clothing, ignoring “no soliciting” and “no trespassing” signs, and behaving combatively when confronted by the people they’re trying to convince to vote for the Governor.
In one incident captured on a Ring camera, the Post reported, one paid supporter in South Carolina indignantly stood on the porch of a homeowner who had asked him to get off their lawn, using “lewd remarks” to dare the homeowner to do something about it.
“And I’m a little stoned, so I don’t even care,” the DeSantis supporter added, the Post reported, highlighting the risks of hiring supporters to spread the word about a candidate rather than relying on a policy platform motivating volunteers.
In another incident, a paid DeSantis canvasser didn’t even look up from his phone to speak with a homeowner whose door he had knocked on.
“He was just standing there, which was weird. I said, ‘Can I help you?'” Mike Hogan told the Post, adding that the DeSantis canvasser mumbled something and walked away. “He was not saying anything. He was just texting. He would not look up.”
DeSantis’ presidential campaign representatives declined to comment on the canvassers’ behavior. The Never Back Down PAC did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
The DeSantis campaign, which launched on a platform of being a GOP alternative to former President Donald Trump — prompting an explosive feud between the two — has stalled in recent weeks, Politico reported, with Steve Cortes, a spokesman for Never Back Down, saying in a Twitter spaces conversation that the campaign is “way behind” in national polling and is facing “an uphill battle.”