DeSantis campaign cuts roughly a dozen campaign staffers, with more shake-ups expected: Sources
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cut about a dozen campaign staffers with more shake-ups expected soon, sources tell ABC News.
Sources said the campaign decided to cut costs -- the DeSantis camp assessed that it burned through cash too quickly and hired too many staffers early in the campaign.
Sources also said some close to the DeSantis campaign blame the campaign manager, Generra Peck. ABC News has reached out to Peck for comment.
DeSantis's presidential campaign reported a second-quarter fundraising haul of roughly $20 million but burned through nearly $8 million of it in the first six weeks of a campaign that has failed to cut significantly into a massive polling lead by former President Donald Trump, according to the campaign's financial report filed Saturday with the FEC.
This is all part of a broader shake-up and change of strategy within the campaign, sources told ABC News. The shift comes amid a change in media strategy for the campaign which believed DeSantis could continue shunning mainstream media outlets and sticking to more friendly platforms like Fox News and conservative news media. As ABC News reported last week, sources said the governor's team is leaning toward having DeSantis begin doing mainstream network interviews and possibly town halls.
Days ago, ABC News obtained the private memo from the DeSantis campaign laying out its strategy. The memo states the campaign will hold off on investments in Super Tuesday states that could slow momentum in New Hampshire.
First reported by Politico and later confirmed by ABC News on Friday, Dave Abrams, the campaign's media director, and Tucker Obenshain, who leads external affairs, are leaving their posts to help an outside political non-profit group that will promote the governor.
The campaign spokesperson, Andrew Romeo, told ABC News on Friday that "the more people hear and see Gov. DeSantis and his forward-thinking vision to fix Joe Biden's failures, the better our path to victory. Gov. DeSantis will be appearing at events with dozens of organizations celebrating his policy and leadership. The 'DeSantis is everywhere' tour has begun."
Sources said the campaign has come to terms that it is struggling to close the gap with Trump and may have underestimated his hold on the base.
When asked about the recent staffing cuts, Romeo told ABC News in a statement, "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."
