Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) super PAC Never Back Down has started to lay off workers as the official campaign for the Republican presidential candidate turns its attention to South Carolina and New Hampshire.
A group official for Never Back Down said the super PAC was “evaluating and paring down” some consultants, vendors, and staff members from its organization, according to a New York Times report Wednesday.
Rob DeSantis has pulled TV ads from every state. He currently has no ads running.
His super pac has fired 75% of their staff.
His campaign has like 3 people left.
Why doesn’t Rob just officially drop out?
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) January 18, 2024
Although Never Back Down is winding down some of its operations, the official campaign for Gov. DeSantis is getting ready for the next nominating contests. A campaign official said, “While they continue to have buyers’ remorse over backing a Bubble Wrapped candidate who can’t beat Trump, we’re wasting no time in taking the fight directly to Haley on her home turf.”
“When Nikki Haley fails to win her home state, she’ll be finished and this will be a two-person race — and her donors are starting to come to the same conclusion,” said the senior DeSantis campaign official. The DeSantis spokesperson was giving a response to CNBC reporting about the pressure on Haley’s donors to see results out of South Carolina and New Hampshire.
“She was governor here for six years. Can you name major achievements under her tenure? I mean, tell me if there are, because she hasn’t been able to do it,” said Gov. DeSantis in remarks about former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) at a campaign stop in Greenville, South Carolina.
Former DeSantis PAC spokesman calls on DeSantis to drop out of the race. 👀 https://t.co/EGm6HqCrlG
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) January 17, 2024
DeSantis spoke in Greenville after organizers canceled an event hosted by Never Back Down PAC in Claremont, New Hampshire due to heavy snow and unsafe temperatures. It was one of two events in New Hampshire that organizers for DeSantis had to cancel because of the weather. That could slow the campaign’s progress for the Florida governor in the Granite State.
DeSantis has not spent as much time in New Hampshire as he did in Iowa to get his distant second-place finish after former President Donald Trump. As a result, he has not made any headway in polling numbers there for months. A CBS News poll in December found DeSantis trailing behind Trump and Haley with 11% in the state.
