GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is cutting campaign staff as he battles to catch up to former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary contest while facing unexpected financial pressure.
The Associated Press reported Sunday the DeSantis campaign released less than ten paid staffers late last week to help reduce operating expenses, according to a DeSantis aide granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign strategy.
The staffers were involved in event planning and may join a pro-DeSantis super PAC.
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The moves, first reported by Politico, come as DeSantis struggles to meet expectations that he represents the GOP’s strongest alternative to Trump.
The Florida governor’s political organization has raised more money than the other Republicans seeking the 2024 nomination but has struggled in the polls.
DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo did not deny reports of staffing cuts but offered an optimistic outlook about the campaign’s road ahead, telling the AP, “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.”
Romeo said, “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.”
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“He’s going down,” Trump said of DeSantis during a Sunday interview on Fox News Channmonth’s former president also suggested he may not participate in next month’s debate given his lead over DeSantis and the other Republicans running against him.
As the Tampa Free Press reported on July 6, DeSantis raised $20 million in the second fundraising quarter of 2023.
DeSantis’ campaign fundraising since his late May announcement is the highest first quarter totals of any non-incumbent presidential candidate in over a decade, according to the press release.
The Florida governor’s announcement comes after former President Donald Trump’s campaign Wednesday released its second quarter fundraising totals to the tune of $35 million.
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“Joe Biden’s leftist policies are destroying the country, and Republicans are excited to invest in a winner ready to lead America’s revival,” said campaign manager Generra Peck. “We are grateful for the investment so many Americans have made to get this country back on track. The fight to save it will be long and challenging, but we have built an operation to share the governor’s message and mobilize the millions of people who support it. We are ready to win.”
Combined with the super political action committee supporting the governor’s White House bid, Never Back Down, DeSantis has raised a total of $150 million, according to the super PAC’s Twitter.
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