Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long excelled in soliciting donations, and he’s amassed a war chest for 2024’s general election.
Still, DeSantis has reportedly been struggling to fund his primary campaign… and his campaign is cutting costs.
The DeSantis campaign has axed as many as nine staffers involved in event planning, according to a Saturday report from Politico.
However, the campaign may have simply induced these staffers to transfer, rather than firing them.
Politico reported —
Fewer than 10 staffers were let go by the Florida governor’s campaign Thursday, according to a person familiar with the internal deliberations and granted anonymity to describe them.
Each of the aides was involved in event planning, and some of them may soon wind up at an allied outside group. Never Back Down, the pro-DeSantis super PAC, has received resumes from staffers who’ve been let go, a person familiar with the group said.
DeSantis’ campaign has dismissed the staffers as part of a pivot in its larger strategy.
The campaign has focused its energies onto the Iowa caucus. Team Desantis sees an opportunity following Donald Trump’s critique of the state’s popular governor, and the campaign wants Americans to see more of DeSantis. In fact, DeSantis will host a press conference and is scheduled to sit down with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, eschewing his yearslong practice of granting interviews almost exclusively to conservative media.
“Donald Trump gave us an opening in Iowa this week, and we’re taking it,” DeSantis spokesperson Andrew Romeo told Politico. “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… Defeating Joe Biden and the $72 million behind him will require a nimble and candidate-driven campaign, and we are building a movement to go the distance.”
The Florida governor’s political organization has raised more money than the other Republicans seeking the 2024 nomination, but he has shown little movement in the polls. According to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate of polls over time, DeSantis has been coming in second consistently but distantly. Former President Donald Trump remains in first.
And while DeSantis’ political team is flush with cash compared to many other Republican rivals, Saturday’s quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission revealed some cause for concern.
DeSantis raised more than $20 million over the first six weeks he was in the race, according to the federal report. While a massive sum, he also burned through nearly $8 million over the same period, leaving his campaign with $12.2 million at the end of June. And of that total, roughly $3 million is earmarked for general election and cannot be used in the GOP primary contest.
The report also revealed that the DeSantis campaign has dozens of paid staffers and is spending far more on payroll than others in the race.
For the first six weeks of his campaign, DeSantis spent more than $890,000 on payroll, including benefits, insurance, payroll taxes and processing fees, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. The campaign also spent more than $845,000 on travel expenses, which included DeSantis regular use of private jets.
A pro-DeSantis super PAC said it raised a stunning $130 million since the committee launched in March. However, that PAC is legally barred from coordinating with the campaign.
Saturday’s federal filings do not provide a complete accounting of donation figures, which won’t be available until the end of the month.
May 2023 flashback! Ron DeSantis snags key fundraising advantage over Trump
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.