Ron DeSantis is rejecting concerns about his campaign’s free-spending ways as “hogwash.”
Responding to a claim from a Donald Trump super PAC spox that DeSantis’ operation has “lit tens of millions of dollars on fire,” the Florida Governor told Fox News viewers that the critique was off base.
“Well, that’s a lot of hogwash first to pack into one statement. The reality is we’re laying the groundwork to be able to actually win delegates, which is what you need to do. And so you’ve got to make those investments,” DeSantis said.
“We’re the only one really doing that on the ground in places like Iowa and New Hampshire and we’re going to continue to do that. And I understand if we weren’t a threat, they wouldn’t be putting out those statements.”
DeSantis made the comments during an interview on Wednesday’s “Faulkner Focus.“
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.
His Never Back Down super PAC spent $34 million in June, entering July with less than $100 million on hand. Its receipts were inflated by an $82 million transfer from the Governor’s former statewide political committee.
DeSantis also defended the campaign reset.
“At the end of the day, you’re looking at return on investment on everything. I set out the vision. If that vision is not realized, I make changes to be able to get us going forward.”
Among those changes: the firing of 38 staff members last month, reducing headcount from 92 employees.
DeSantis previously defended his campaign’s staffing as an alternative to “consultants.”
“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 last month in Utah, calling it a “different model of doing more in house than doing consultants.”
He has had to discuss the staff cuts before.
“We had a campaign for a nationwide election which will happen eventually, but that’s not how the Primaries are. So, we’re shifting resources to the early states,” DeSantis told Clay Travis last month.
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