Campaign Sheds Third Of Its Staff Amid Spiraling Poll Numbers

Topline

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s fledgling presidential campaign has laid off one-third of its staff as the campaign is reportedly waging a “reset” amid declining poll numbers and worse-than-expected fundraising, according to multiple reports.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis departs after delivering remarks at the … [+] 2023 Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.

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Key Facts

The campaign has let go of 38 of the 90-some staffers who were initially employed, Politico and the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the layoffs.

The slim-down comes after Politico reported last week that the campaign had laid off ten staffers involved in event planning after failing to meet fundraising targets.

DeSantis, who is trailing former President Donald Trump by 33 points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average, has had a series of missteps since announcing his bid in May, reportedly prompting GOP mega donors who have disavowed Trump to eye alternative candidates.

As part of an effort to get to his campaign back on track, DeSantis’ advisors told donors at a briefing this weekend in Utah that he is recalibrating to run an “insurgent” campaign that includes a leaner staff, heightened focus on key primary states and more mainstream media appearances (something from which he has largely shied away), according to Politico.

Forbes has reached out to DeSantis’ campaign for comment.

Crucial Quote

DeSantis’ campaign manager, Generra Peck, told the Times the staffing changes followed “a top-to-bottom review of our organization,” that includes “aggressive steps to streamline operations and put Ron DeSantis in the strongest position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden.”

Chief Critic

DeSantis has downplayed concerns about his bleak polling numbers and blamed the media and his political adversaries for creating a “narrative” that his campaign is in trouble. His campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo defended DeSantis’ trajectory in a statement to Politico last week, insisting that “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.”

Key Background

In addition to DeSantis’ failure to gain traction in polls, his campaign has also showed signs of financial mismanagement. He has spent 40% of the $20 million raised during the second-quarter fundraising cycle, most of which came from large donors, according to the New York Times. The spending reports show the campaign has spent a large chunk of its cash, amounting to $1.5 million or 20%, on private flights, the Washington Post reported—a habit that runs contrary to (Harvard and Yale alumnus) DeSantis’ anti-“elite” messaging. DeSantis has also had a series of high-profile missteps, including the glitch-plagued launch of his campaign on Twitter Spaces and a bizarre video dispersed by his campaign that criticized Trump for previous statements he made in support of the LGBTQ community. The video featured a cartoonish (yet dead serious) machismo depiction of DeSantis, lightning-bolt, anti-“woke” death rays emanating from his eyes—and a series of images of shirtless, glistening musclemen that some viewed as homophobic—others as homoerotic.

What To Watch For

DeSantis heads to Iowa Wednesday to kick off a 99-county tour with the help of the Never Back Down super-PAC supporting his campaign.

Tangent

DeSantis was involved in a car crash Tuesday in Tennessee, where he’s conducting a three-city fundraising push, Chattanooga police said. DeSantis was not injured in the incident, though one female staffer suffered a minor injury, according to a police spokesperson. The crash occurred around 8:15 a.m. on I-75 south when one of the vehicles in DeSantis’ motorcade abruptly slowed down, causing a rear-end collision involving four of the vehicles, according to law enforcement.