Ron Desantis's Presidential Run Stumbles As Super PAC Chief Resigns

In the latest development, Chris Jankowski, the chief executive of super PAC Never Back Down, has stepped down, adding to the woes of Republican Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign which has been facing struggles.

What Happened: The resignation was first reported by Reuters on Wednesday. Jankowski’s resignation comes on the heels of his statement in which he termed his position as “untenable.”

This development marks another setback in the Florida Governor‘s presidential campaign, which earlier saw the dismissal of about two dozen employees in July and a subsequent change in campaign management in August. Despite the legal prohibition against super PACs coordinating with campaigns, Never Back Down has been actively organizing events for DeSantis nationwide and assumed other campaign duties.

Initially, DeSantis began the year as a formidable opponent against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. However, his popularity has seen a dip in recent months, and he is currently lagging behind Trump by almost 40 points, according to a September Reuters/Ipsos poll of probable Republican primary voters.

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Jankowski’s statement suggested internal discord within Never Back Down, not just about strategy, but also about expenditure. “Given the current environment it has become untenable for me to deliver on the shared goal and that goes well beyond a difference of strategic opinion,” he remarked.

Why It Matters: The DeSantis campaign’s struggles have been chronicled over the past few months. In July, DeSantis’s campaign had to let go of several staff as part of cost-cutting measures. Despite raising $20 million in the second quarter of this year, the campaign had to allocate $3 million for the general election.

In October, the campaign shifted its strategy to address concerns among donors about high spending rates. DeSantis’s campaign had been spending as much as it raised, with additional unpaid invoices totaling $1 million.

Earlier this month, DeSantis also lost his biggest donor, hotel industry magnate Robert Bigelow, who shifted his support to Donald Trump. However, Bigelow is holding back his financial support until he is certain that Trump is not facing jail time.

Photo by Hunter Crenian on Shutterstock

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