Reports: Hickenlooper campaign losing key staffers amid shakeup

July 2 (UPI) -- The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is going through a major shakeup, with the loss of five key staffers.

Campaign manager Brad Komar, national finance director Dan Sorenson, communication director Lauren Hitt, digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee have left or intend to leave in the next few weeks, sources told ABC News.

M.E. Smith will take over as campaign manager, The Denver Post reported.

Hitt said she, Komar and Sorenson are leaving the campaign -- Sorenson to competitor Beto O'Rourke's campaign, where he will be the national finance director at the former congressman's base in Texas.

"For personal and professional reasons, it made sense [for Sorenson] to be in Texas," Hitt said.

Hickenlooper does not plan to drop out of the race, but he is fully aware how difficult it's been to break through the crowded field of more than 20 Democratic candidates, CNN reported Tuesday.

Hickenlooper, Colorado's governor between 2011 and January, qualified and participated in the first Democratic debates in Miami last week. His poll numbers, however, have remained around 1 percent.

He will reassess his campaign after the next Democratic debates in Detroit at the end of this month, the reports said.