TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, has begun laying off staffers.
According to the NYT, the number of layoffs remains unknown. However, the layoffs directly follow a disappointing showing for DeSantis in Monday's Iowa caucus.
Never Back Down maintains that the campaign will press forward, and the super PAC will continue operations in South Carolina, New Hampshire, and beyond.
The latest DeSantis campaign shakeup follows the August firing of campaign manager Generra Peck and multiple other staffer layoffs. The DeSantis campaign has slowly lost traction over the past six months.
DeSantis, who came into the summer as the primary Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump, faces an uphill battle to the Republican nomination after coming in a distant second place in Monday night's Iowa caucus, finishing nearly 30 points behind Trump, and edging out former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for second place by only two percentage points.
Haley, who has seen surging poll numbers over the past month, is polling in a clear second place in New Hampshire a week before the primary, with DeSantis polling at just 5%, according to a poll released by fivethirtyeight.com.
All three candidates, Trump, Haley and DeSantis, have been present in New Hampshire since the conclusion of the Iowa caucus, and all three are scheduled to continue to hold events in the state until next week's primary.
This story is developing and will be updated.