Pro-DeSantis super PAC leader steps down

Chris Jankowski, the CEO of super PAC Never Back Down, a group aligned with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, has announced his departure, as polling shows the governor bleeding support in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

"Never Back Down’s main goal and sole focus has been to elect Governor Ron DeSantis as President," he said, according to the New York Times. "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. For the future of our country I support and pray Ron DeSantis is our 47th president."

His resignation follows reports of intense internal discord at the organization, including mounting disputes with DeSantis himself over its ads targeting former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

DeSantis currently places second in most surveys for the Republican nomination, but trails Trump by an averaged 46.3%, according to RealClearPolitics. Recent surveys, moreover, show Haley gaining steam, with the former South Carolina governor even overtaking him in some polls.

Jankowski's departure comes one day after DeSantis notched an endorsement from Iowa faith leader Bob Vander Plaats, an influential figure in the state's evangelical community whom the campaign hopes will be able to sway voters and help hand DeSantis an early win in the primary, to help build momentum. He previously secured the support of GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.