The super political action committee supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in the presidential race began carrying out layoffs Wednesday, even as the campaign insisted he had a path forward.
It was unclear how broad the layoffs were at the super PAC, Never Back Down. The group had spent heavily on a vast field operation in Iowa, taking over many of the responsibilities of a traditional campaign, but DeSantis lost the state’s caucuses to former President Donald Trump on Monday by 30 percentage points.
One of those who was laid off, George Andrews, who had been assigned as a caucus precinct operations director in Iowa but also listed himself on LinkedIn as a state director in California, posted on the career website that he had been let go.
“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.
“I completely understand why this had to happen, harbor no ill will, and wish my former team great success as they attempt to bring back sanity to our party,” he wrote. “What they are trying to accomplish for America is much greater than my termination as an individual employee.”
An official with the group appeared to confirm the layoffs, saying that those affected were being paid through the end of January.
The official, who did not speak on the record, added that the group was “evaluating and paring down” other consultants, vendors and some staff members who had been focused on various aspects of the group’s work.
Scott Wagner, the CEO of Never Back Down, issued a statement saying that the group continued to host events for DeSantis, but he did not address the question of layoffs.
“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 state,” 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.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2024 The New York Times Company
