Pro-DeSantis Super PAC Reportedly Laying Off Staffers

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in a distant second place behind front-runner Donald Trump in Monday’s Iowa caucus, beating former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and justifying his continued presence in the GOP presidential primary race — at least for now.

“The media was against us,” he told supporters in a victory speech of sorts. “They were writing our obituaries months ago. They even called the election before people even got a chance to vote. They were just so excited about the fact that they were predicting that we wouldn’t be able to get our ticket punched here out of Iowa. But I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all that they threw at us, everyone against us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa.”

DeSantis is essentially conceding the upcoming New Hampshire race, however, and it remains to be seen how long he will be able to make the case that he deserves a spot in the winnowing field.

One troubling sign for the campaign can be found in the offices of Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting his candidacy. According to recent reports, the committee has begun laying off its staff, though it was not just how many jobs have been cut.

Never Back Down CEO Scott Wagner sought to downplay concerns with a statement asserting that the super PAC “continues to host a slew of events on the ground” to support DeSantis’ campaign.

“We’ve mobilized several members of our robust Iowa team over to the other early primary states to help in these efforts,” he added.

DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo also chimed in, portraying the governor’s decision to skip New Hampshire as part of a plan to knock Haley out of contention with a strong showing in South Carolina.

“When Nikki Haley fails to win her home state, she’ll be finished and this will be a two-person race,” he said. “We’re wasting no time in taking the fight directly to Haley on her home turf.”

Nevertheless, there has reportedly been mounting pressure on DeSantis in recent days to drop out of the race.

In a piece on Tuesday, the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board argued that DeSantis “Faces no clear path to the nomination” and should suspend his campaign in favor of allowing Haley to compete head-to-head against Trump.