In an effort to support the 2024 presidential candidate in a Republican primary still dominated by former President Donald Trump, hundreds of volunteers and full-time canvassers have been driving the major super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for months. However, despite running a highly organized campaign, Never Back Down has not been able to assist DeSantis defeat Trump in the GOP primary so far.
A recent analysis sheds light on the whole scope of the conflict. The New York Times reports that a number of Never Back Down door knockers, whose job it is to get Iowans to support DeSantis, have informed potential caucus attendees that they are really endorsing Trump in the presidential contest. In interviews with the Times, a collection of Iowan voters, local leaders, and strategists criticized the super PAC for being unauthentic in its efforts to woo voters around the state and said that some of the Never Back Down door knockers were rude or uninterested.
Businessman Cris Christenson told the Times, "From my perspective, it hasn't been working." about Never Back Down. Christenson, who lives near Des Moines, told the Times that Never Back Down had descended upon his neighborhood and had made three unsuccessful attempts to enter his home. However, Christenson, who called DeSantis "very bright," went on to say that the GOP base in Iowa continued to support Trump in spite of Never Back Down's efforts.
"It really comes down to this — Trump is so wildly popular in the state that DeSantis doesn't stand a chance," he said to the media.
With an average of 50% support, Trump continues to lead in FiveThirtyEight's weighted polling average of the Iowa GOP caucuses as of December 23. With an average of 18.4% support in Iowa, DeSantis is faring worse than former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who has an average of 15.7% support.
DeSantis has garnered the support of prominent Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and well-liked governor Kim Reynolds, two endorsements that would be noteworthy for any Republican contender for the presidency. But, given Trump's ongoing affinity for GOP supporters, it will still be difficult for DeSantis to turn the tide in his favor.
Never Back Down was "doing the right things," according to Iowa GOP political organizer Will Rogers, who told the Times that their organizing hadn't helped DeSantis' prospects in the state yet. He told the newspaper, "[I]t just doesn't seem to be moving the needle at all."
Never Back Down spokesperson Jess Szymanski told the Times that she thinks more people are coming around to DeSantis because of the group's door-knocking efforts. "With every voter we interact with on the ground, we constantly find strong support and new voters committing to caucus for Governor DeSantis," she said in the publication.
A recent analysis sheds light on the whole scope of the conflict. The New York Times reports that a number of Never Back Down door knockers, whose job it is to get Iowans to support DeSantis, have informed potential caucus attendees that they are really endorsing Trump in the presidential contest. In interviews with the Times, a collection of Iowan voters, local leaders, and strategists criticized the super PAC for being unauthentic in its efforts to woo voters around the state and said that some of the Never Back Down door knockers were rude or uninterested.
Businessman Cris Christenson told the Times, "From my perspective, it hasn't been working." about Never Back Down. Christenson, who lives near Des Moines, told the Times that Never Back Down had descended upon his neighborhood and had made three unsuccessful attempts to enter his home. However, Christenson, who called DeSantis "very bright," went on to say that the GOP base in Iowa continued to support Trump in spite of Never Back Down's efforts.
"It really comes down to this — Trump is so wildly popular in the state that DeSantis doesn't stand a chance," he said to the media.
With an average of 50% support, Trump continues to lead in FiveThirtyEight's weighted polling average of the Iowa GOP caucuses as of December 23. With an average of 18.4% support in Iowa, DeSantis is faring worse than former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who has an average of 15.7% support.
DeSantis has garnered the support of prominent Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and well-liked governor Kim Reynolds, two endorsements that would be noteworthy for any Republican contender for the presidency. But, given Trump's ongoing affinity for GOP supporters, it will still be difficult for DeSantis to turn the tide in his favor.
Never Back Down was "doing the right things," according to Iowa GOP political organizer Will Rogers, who told the Times that their organizing hadn't helped DeSantis' prospects in the state yet. He told the newspaper, "[I]t just doesn't seem to be moving the needle at all."
Never Back Down spokesperson Jess Szymanski told the Times that she thinks more people are coming around to DeSantis because of the group's door-knocking efforts. "With every voter we interact with on the ground, we constantly find strong support and new voters committing to caucus for Governor DeSantis," she said in the publication.
