Financial Strains Cause DeSantis’ Presidential Campaign to Trim Staff

Ron DeSantis, the Republican presidential candidate, is making cuts to his campaign staff in an effort to keep up with former President Donald Trump in the GOP’s densely packed primary race, while simultaneously dealing with unexpected financial challenges.

Last week, the Florida governor released fewer than 10 paid employees from his campaign team, aiming to lower running costs, as per an anonymous DeSantis aide privy to the internal campaign strategy. The laid-off staff, who were primarily responsible for event coordination, may soon find a new home with a super PAC supporting DeSantis.

Politico was the first to report these adjustments amidst DeSantis’ struggle to live up to the belief that he is the strongest GOP alternative to Trump. Despite his political organization surpassing other Republican candidates in fundraising for the 2024 nomination, DeSantis has seen little progress in the polls. The stagnant polling numbers stem from intense rivalry from Trump and ongoing scrutiny of his far-right policies, his political finesse, and his preparedness for national politics.

Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for DeSantis, neither refuted the staff reduction claims nor the financial crunch, but shared an optimistic forecast for the campaign’s future. Romeo stressed on DeSantis’ vision to overturn Joe Biden’s failures and reinstate sensibility to the nation, promising continued momentum as the candidate engages more with voters, especially in Iowa.

However, despite the external optimism, some within the DeSantis camp are quietly admitting that the successful political strategy from the Florida reelection might not translate to success on the national front. In response, DeSantis is set to host a press conference and engage with CNN’s Jake Tapper, deviating from his usual preference for conservative media outlets.

The rearrangement of staff and strategy took place less than two months after DeSantis’ presidential campaign’s inception.

Trump, during his Sunday interview on Fox News, expressed skepticism about DeSantis’ chances, hinting at a potential no-show in the upcoming debate given his lead over DeSantis and the other GOP candidates.

As the DeSantis campaign shifts its focus to Iowa, some insiders acknowledge the necessity of winning Iowa’s January 15 caucuses to have a tangible chance of blocking Trump from securing the GOP nomination. Without a decisive victory in the primary contest, they believe Trump would become an unchallengeable entity in the countrywide primary race, where momentum often outweighs money.

Saturday’s quarterly Federal Election Commission filing disclosed a few red flags. DeSantis’ campaign, while affluent compared to most Republican contenders, raised over $20 million in the initial six weeks but burned through nearly $8 million, leaving a balance of $12.2 million as of June’s end. However, around $3 million of this total is dedicated to the general election and is unusable in the GOP primary contest.

On another note, the pro-DeSantis super PAC, which legally cannot coordinate with the campaign, revealed it raised a staggering $130 million since its launch in March. Over half of this amount originated from a state-level political committee previously overseen by DeSantis.

While the Never Back Down super PAC has been expending for months to develop a pro-DeSantis base in the primary and “Super Tuesday” states, Trump’s MAGA movement rejoiced at DeSantis’ apparent difficulties.

Chad Day in Washington and Michelle L. Price in New York, reporters for Big Big News, contributed to this story.

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