NEW YORK – Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is cutting campaign staff as it struggles to catch the former president donald trump in the crowded GOP primary race as it faces unexpected financial pressure.
DeSantis, the Florida governor, let go fewer than 10 paid staffers late last week to help cut operating expenses, according to a DeSantis aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal campaign strategy. Employees participated in event planning and may soon join a pro-DeSantis super PAC.
The moves, first reported by Politico, come as DeSantis struggles to live up to expectations that he represents the Republican Party’s stalwart. alternative to Trump. The Florida governor’s political organization has raised more money than other Republicans seeking the 2024 nomination, but has shown little movement in the polls amid fierce opposition to Trump and lingering questions about his far-right policies , his political skills and his preparation for the national stage.
DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo did not deny reports of staff cuts, but offered an upbeat outlook on the campaign trail.
“Americans are rallying behind Ron DeSantis and his plan to reverse Joe Biden’s failures and restore sanity to our nation, and his momentum will only continue as voters see more of him in person, especially in Iowa,” Romeo said. “Defeating Joe Biden and the $72 million behind him will require a nimble, candidate-driven campaign, and we’re building a movement to go the distance.”
Despite that optimism, some members of DeSantis’ team privately acknowledge that the political playbook that led to a dominant re-election in Florida last fall may not work on the national stage. To that end, DeSantis will host a press conference and is scheduled to meet with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, eschewing his years-long practice of granting interviews almost exclusively to conservative media.
The reshuffle of staff and strategy comes less than two months after DeSantis launched his presidential campaign.
“He’s going down,” Trump said of DeSantis during an interview on Fox News Channel on Sunday. The former president also suggested he might not participate in next month’s debate given his lead over DeSantis and the other Republicans running against him.
As the DeSantis campaign publicly refocuses on Iowa, some on his team are already privately acknowledging that he must win Iowa. Caucus of January 15 have any realistic chance of denying Trump the GOP presidential nomination. Without a clear victory in the GOP’s opening primary contest, they fear Trump is likely to become an unstoppable force in the months-long primary march across the country, where momentum is often more consequential than money.
DeSantis sought to bolster his connections in the state during an appearance Saturday. He described the governor of Iowa. Kim Reynolds as a possible running mate and dismissed Trump’s recent complaints about her as “totally out of control.”
“Of course,” DeSantis said when asked if he would consider the second-term Republican as his running mate should he win the Republican nomination. “I mean, she’s one of America’s leading public servants.”
And while DeSantis’ political team is flush with cash compared to many other Republican challengers, Saturday’s quarterly presentation with the Federal Electoral Commission revealed some cause for concern.
DeSantis raised more than $20 million in the first six weeks he was in the race, according to the federal report. While that was a massive sum, he also spent nearly $8 million during the same period, leaving his campaign with $12.2 million at the end of June. And of that total, roughly $3 million goes to the general election and cannot be used in the GOP primary contest.
The report also revealed that the DeSantis campaign has dozens of paid staffers and is spending far more on payroll than others in the race.
In the first six weeks of his campaign, DeSantis spent more than $890,000 on payroll, including benefits, insurance, payroll taxes and processing fees, according to an AP analysis. The campaign also spent more than $845,000 on travel expenses, which included regular use of DeSantis’ private jets.
Still, a pro-DeSantis super PAC, which is legally barred from coordinating with the campaign, said it raised an impressive $130 million since the committee launched in March. More than half of that came from a statewide political committee formerly controlled by DeSantis.
The Never Back Down super PAC has been building a pro-DeSantis infrastructure for months in the top four states on the presidential nominating calendar and even in the so-called “Super Tuesday” he says that vote in early March.
Trump’s MAGA movement was giddy over DeSantis’ struggles.
“The more it shows, the less attractive it is,” tweeted longtime Trump ally Roger Stone. Added the tag “DeLoser”.
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Associated Press reporters Chad Day in Washington and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed.
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