Over the weekend, a Washington Post report detailed a string of recent firings, exits and tumult within the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down.
Hours later, a top strategist for the super PAC resigned.
And on Monday, the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging DeSantis, his campaign and Never Back Down illegally coordinated in violation of federal campaign finance laws.
Never Back Down, an outside group that’s taken on much responsibility for the DeSantis campaign, has also cycled through three CEOs in the last month, amid other reports of internal tension, frustration and legal concerns.
The latest complications for the campaign come just four weeks out from the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, which kickstart the GOP’s presidential nominating process — as DeSantis looks to secure at least second place in the key early state.
DeSantis entered the presidential race last year as the candidate expected to be the top competitor to former President Trump, but his campaign has struggled to close the gap and get closer to Trump — while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has seen boosts of momentum, threatening DeSantis’s second-place status.
The Hill’s Julia Mueller delves into DeSantis’s campaign chaos here.
Meanwhile, Haley is on the rise in New Hampshire, which is set to hold its first-in-the-nation on Jan. 23, just eight days after Iowa.
In Iowa, a recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll found DeSantis and Haley at 19 and 16 percent, respectively, well behind Trump’s 51 percent.
But a new CBS News/YouGov poll in New Hampshire shows Haley getting closer to Trump in the Granite State, with Haley at 29 percent behind the former president’s 44 percent.
Many in the party are pushing for the field of candidates to narrow so support can build behind a non-Trump candidate — and Haley is gunning to be that alternative.
She recently scored the coveted endorsement from popular four-term New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) — though DeSantis notably has the backing of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).
Read more about Haley’s New Hampshire momentum from The Hill’s Caroline Vakil.
