Florida Governor and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis speaks with voters and residents in border-adjacent communities during a campaign event in Eagle Pass.Photo:SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty
Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis, who is vying for the Republican nomination in the2024 presidential election, has reportedly fired numerous campaign staffers amid financial woes and lackluster poll numbers.
A source toldNBC Newsthat the firings were an effort to cut costs, and that they primarily affected mid-level staffers across multiple departments.Politicoreported that fewer than 10 people were cut, while NBC News reported the number as “roughly a dozen” and suggested that more were coming.
Generra Peck, the campaign manager who spearheaded DeSantis’ 2022 gubernatorial reelection bid, is facing backlash among those in the Republican’s inner circle. “She should be,” a DeSantis donor told NBC News, adding, “DeSantis stock isn’t rising. Twenty percent is not what people signed up for.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at a drive-through coronavirus testing site in front of Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Gov.Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock
“They never should have brought so many people on,” a separate Republican source told the outlet. “The burn rate was way too high. People warned the campaign manager, but she wanted to hear none of it.”
The donor noted that DeSantis, 44, changed his campaign staff three times each time he ran for Congress, and that he also had a big staff shakeup in his 2018 gubernatorial race.
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According to Politico, the governor collected $20 million in the second quarter, but $3 million of that was for the general election. 15% of the money was from small-dollar donors, which he may need to increase to compete with former PresidentDonald Trump, who has a strong small-dollar base. DeSantis’ campaign had about 90 staff and spent more than $1 million on payroll and related costs in the second quarter, per the outlet.
“They need to treat it like it’s all that matters right now,” the donor said, regarding DeSantis winning Iowa. “If Trump wins it, it is over. It means he needs to be there a lot. He needs to do all the retail politics he can.”
source: people.com
