Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, began staff layoffs on Wednesday. An official at the PAC revealed that those laid off will be paid through January, but the extent of the layoffs is currently unknown.
According to George Andrews, a Never Back Down employee who was let go on Wednesday, budget cuts were responsible. “As of 6 am this morning, I learned I am now a free agent due to budget cuts beyond my control,” Andrews wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
The layoffs follow DeSantis’s resounding defeat to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Though DeSantis came in second place, he trailed Trump by a margin of 30 points. An official who spoke to the New York Times off the record said the PAC was “evaluating and paring down” other consultants, vendors, and staff members.
Despite the layoffs, Never Back Down CEO Scott Wagner released a statement insisting that the PAC will continue to work to get DeSantis elected.
“Never Back Down continues to host a slew of events on the ground for Gov. DeSantis in South Carolina, New Hampshire, and beyond aligned with our core mission of mobilizing grass-roots field operations in those states,” Wagner said. “We’ve mobilized several members of our robust Iowa team over to the other early primary states to help in these efforts and will continue working to help elect Gov. DeSantis, the most effective conservative leader in the race, our next President.”