Just like NFL teams, the summer is bringing roster cuts to Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
As POLITICO first reported, a total of 38 positions have been eliminated from the Florida Governor’s White House bid. That number includes 10 event planning roles cut previously, and reduces the headcount from 92 people as of the end of June.
“Following a top-to-bottom review of our organization, we have taken additional, aggressive steps to streamline operations and put Ron DeSantis in the strongest position to win this Primary and defeat Joe Biden,” DeSantis Campaign Manager Generra Peck said.
Florida Politics has reached out for more details on which positions have been affected, as well as to find out if some or all of the discharged employees will be able to move to outside organizations helping the DeSantis effort, and if fired employees are at liberty to move to other campaigns.
The news comes just hours after DeSantis’ motorcade was in a multicar accident involving Florida Department of Law Enforcement staff and vehicles.
The staff cuts likely will reduce operational expenses.
As The Associated Press reported, DeSantis spent more than $890,000 on payroll in the six weeks it was officially operating during Q2. The campaign spent nearly as much ($845,000) on travel expenses.
DeSantis has defended his campaign’s staffing as an alternative to “consultants.”
A big part of it, he told reporters, was the campaign eschews “consultants” in favor of “in-house” employees, which he said actually saves money.
“First of all, we don’t do consultants. So we do everything in house. So yes, some people would not have some of the people we have, but they’d also be paying a lot more money for the consultants who charge a lot,” DeSantis said, calling it a “different model of doing more in house than doing consultants.”
“You know, you can raise money online, which we’ve done very well at,” DeSantis added. “Do you want to give 10% of the cut to somebody when you’re doing that? No, we’d rather pay salaries for people to perform a function.”
The Governor soon enough changed subjects, saying “all that stuff is background noise.”
“Background noise” or not, it’s in the foreground now.
DeSantis’ burn rate is notable. He raised more than $20 million in the first six weeks of the race, with $8.2 million raised in the first 24 hours. However, he spent nearly $8 million, giving him $12.2 million on hand at the end of the second quarter. Roughly a quarter of that sum can’t be used for the Primary.
The latest revelations mark a new low for a presidential candidate who entered the Republican Primary this spring with sky-high expectations as Republican Primary voters signaled a willingness to move on from Trump. Two months later, the 44-year-old DeSantis stands a distant second in most polls as GOP operatives and donors alike question his readiness for the national stage.
Trump’s allies immediately celebrated the news of DeSantis’ latest campaign struggles on social media.
“TURMOIL IN TALLAHASSEE,” the Trump campaign tweeted.
Still, with the first votes of the Primary season still six months away, DeSantis has time to recover as Trump’s allies brace for a possible third criminal indictment.
DeSantis’ team has quietly expressed confidence for months that voters would eventually tire of Trump’s escalating legal troubles and personal baggage. But that same baggage, playing out in the U.S. legal system just as the GOP Primary intensifies, leaves precious little oxygen for him and his rivals to break through. And Trump’s standing with Republican Primary voters seems to be growing stronger with every new legal challenge.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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