“South Carolina is a great state,” says Haley spokesman Olivia Perez-Cubas to AP. “We hope they enjoy their vacation here.” Even as they announced the employment losses, DeSantis super PAC leaders tried to appear strong. Never Back Down has seen three major employment layoffs and a leadership change late last year.
“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 grassroots field operations in those states,” CEO Scott Wagner stated. We've sent many members of our powerful Iowa team to the other early primary states to help and will continue to fight to elect Gov. DeSantis, the most effective conservative leader in the race, our next president.
DeSantis will travel to Florida later Wednesday, then New Hampshire on Friday and South Carolina over the weekend.
DeSantis' campaign is seeking to capitalize on Haley's perceived vulnerability in her home state, where Trump looks to have a large lead over both of them. However, DeSantis' backers predict that Haley will withdraw out of the race if she loses South Carolina's Feb. 24 primary, allowing him a chance to reappear as a Trump alternative heading into Super Tuesday on March 5.
In New Hampshire this week, Haley campaigned but left Tuesday night to see her sick father in South Carolina. She's careful on the campaign trail. The former South Carolina governor has limited voter and press queries for weeks. She refused to attend either New Hampshire debate the next week without Trump. He did not, canceling both debates.
DeSantis campaigned Wednesday in Hampton, a seaside town with beach bars and souvenir stores lying in plowed snow. He did not address the organizational changes.
Tom O'Keefe, a retired engineer from Nottingham, was a Trump voter but thought the Florida governor or Haley, a former U.N. ambassador, could beat Democratic President Joe Biden in November. O'Keefe said DeSantis has spent less time in New Hampshire than in Iowa, which hurts his prospects of winning here with less than a week left.
“I wish he really could, but I don't feel like he has it, and he doesn't have much time,” O'Keefe said of DeSantis' New Hampshire upset. “I pray he will.”