Trump’s team put O’Rourke’s name forward last week after DeSantis and his chief of staff, Shane Strum, talked to Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale about replacing Locetta. | AP Photo/Steve Cannon Former VA official ‘hand-picked’ by Trump to lead Florida GOP

TALLAHASSEE — In a surprise move, Peter O’Rourke, a former top official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and an ally of President Donald Trump, will take over leadership of the Republican Party of Florida, the latest development in a party power struggle going into the 2020 presidential election.

O’Rourke, who was introduced to the party executive committee as Trump’s “hand-picked” choice for the job, will replace Jennifer Locetta as executive director of one of the biggest state Republican operations in the country. Locetta was hired in January, shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, took office.


Trump’s team put O’Rourke’s name forward last week after DeSantis and his chief of staff, Shane Strum, talked to Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale about replacing Locetta.

Trump “personally endorsed” O’Rourke for the appointment, DeSantis said in a written statement Monday.

“We are a unified and united team as we head into 2020,” state Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters told POLITICO.

On a conference call with the party’s executive committee Monday, Gruters introduced O’Rourke as “basically a cabinet secretary,” a reference to his tenure as acting VA secretary.

Gruters had revealed O’Rourke’s hiring in a press release Monday morning, an announcement that came as a surprise to party insiders, including some on the executive committee.

“No one in the state executive committee had a clue about the new executive director until the press release hit,” said a Republican consultant. “People are confused and concerned.”

GOP staff in Florida working with Trump’s Victory Team will remain largely in place, but additional staff shakeups could be coming, Gruters said.

“There will probably continue to be some changes, but you can expect a broader expanded team,” Gruters said on the call.

The appointment is O’Rourke’s first job since leaving the VA in December.

When he cut ties with the department, he faced criticism for not showing up to the $161,000-a-year job. As VA chief of staff, he also came under fire for allowing members of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach County club, to influence department decision-making.

One of those members was Ike Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment and one of DeSantis’ top donors. POLITICO reported last year that Perlmutter objected to a $16 billion VA contract being awarded to a vendor he did not like.

“Peter O’Rourke has the political expertise and management skill necessary to support Governor DeSantis within the state and keep our party unified as we work to deliver Florida for President Trump in 2020,” Perlmutter said in a written statement distributed as part of Gruters’ press release.

The press release projected a message of unity after months of internal power struggles over the direction of the party and who should have influence over decision-making.

Prominent state Republicans led by Strum and first lady Casey DeSantis have sought to replace party staff allied with Susie Wiles, a political strategist who helped guide DeSantis’ campaign to victory and led his transition. Wiles and Gruters co-chaired Trump’s 2016 Florida campaign.

O’Rourke’s hire is “the continuation of putting some of [DeSantis’] people versus ‘Susie‘ people,” said one party official.

Locetta, the outgoing executive director, was considered a Wiles ally.

The rift with Wiles had prompted DeSantis to distance himself from his own party apparatus as it gears up for 2020. DeSantis said he would raise money for two Republican Party of Florida events, then focus on raising money for his own political committees.

DeSantis does not have a political spokesperson. Strum did not return a call seeking comment.