DeSantis Lays Off Staff as Support Dwindles

BRADENTON — As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign continues to lose steam, 38 staff positions have recently been eliminated. That figure represents over one-third of the employees on hand following his official announcement.

 

The cutbacks follow reports that donors were beginning to lose confidence as DeSantis slid in the polls following his disastrous campaign launch, which was made on a Twitter platform that crashed repeatedly during the event. 

 

The campaign tried to put the best spin possible on the cuts. In a statement, campaign manager Generra Peck said, "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 has failed to make headway in his bid to topple GOP primary frontrunner, Donald Trump, as the latter continues to consolidate the support of Republican voters. In the most recent polling average from Real Clear Politics, Trump is at 52% in a somewhat crowded field. DeSantis remains in second place but has slipped from the low 20s to just 18%, despite months of campaigning and considerable media attention. To make matters worse, DeSantis has been burning through cash at a much faster pace than the former President. 

 

Such metrics typically make it much more challenging to raise cash in the future and often serve as a death rattle for presidential campaigns. The campaign dips or doesn't make progress in the polls, fewer donations come in, spending is drawn down, doubt of his prospects grows, even fewer donations come in, poll numbers drop further, and eventually there is simply not enough money available to mount a meaningful campaign.

 

Fox News had initially been quite enamored with DeSantis, with Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch reportedly seeing the governor as the most viable alternative after souring on Trump. However, when it became clear that months of rosy coverage and big spending from the campaign hadn't even moved the needle, the tone on Fox regarding DeSantis' campaign became much more introspective.

 

DeSantis hasn't been alone in his inability to dent Trump. More seasoned politicians, including Nikki Haley and Chris Christie (who have a paltry 6 percent combined support in the RCP average) have fared far worse. DeSantis just hasn't lived up to the initial promise of being a more palatable vehicle of Trump's policies, which is initially what had been pushed by his biggest supporters.

 

Instead, DeSantis has performed as more of an alternative to Trump among the base without any indication that he would likely do better among general election voters. In fact, his culture war platform and the legislation he's passed in Florida might make him a softer target among moderates and independents and without the armor of insult humor and entertaining debate antics that have benefited Trump.

 

At this stage of the game, and especially because Trump has indicated he may not even participate in debates, DeSantis' chances may hinge completely on the unlikely event that the former president finds himself in enough legal peril to render a 2024 campaign impossible.