Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign is planning a “reboot” in an effort to catch up to former President Donald Trump in the polls, according to a report.
“The entire campaign is on the brink,” a person familiar with the Sunshine State governor’s presidential campaign told NBC News on Thursday. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Campaign officials told the news outlet that the planned reboot will involve de-emphasizing DeSantis’ Florida accomplishments in favor of promoting more national issues and cutting down on the costs of events.
The source added that morale within the campaign is “downright low.”
The DeSantis campaign ended the second quarter of the year with a cash burn rate of about 39%, with only entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley having a higher burn rate among the entire 2024 GOP field.
DeSantis plans to deemphasize his achievements as Gov. of Florida in favor of promoting national issues. APDeSantis brought in $20.1 million in donations in the second quarter, but has less cash in the bank than the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner – Trump.
The 77-year-old former president has $22.5 million in the bank compared to DeSantis’ $12.2 million, and Trump leads DeSantis by more than 32 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of national polls.
The NBC News report notes that the Florida governor also has a high number of maxed-out donors and his campaign postponed paying some outstanding bills until after the second-quarter reporting deadline in an effort to mask some of its financial difficulties.
Desantis’ efforts to reboot his campaign are an attempt to catch up to Trump’s polling numbers ahead of the 2024 election. APRoughly a dozen people have already been laid off by the DeSantis campaign, which “shook” staffers, according to NBC News, but more budget-related layoffs are not planned.
The report adds that the campaign’s new approach will also involve more interviews with national media and greater media access to DeSantis, as well as events in more intimate venues.
“Gov. DeSantis’ public service has been defined by being the underdog. Every time he has been underestimated, written off, or dismissed, he has proven his enemies wrong — from winning a stunning upset in his first congressional race, to beating Tallahassee insider Adam Putnam in 2018, to bucking the entrenched bureaucracy on COVID,” Generra Peck, DeSantis’ campaign manager, said in a statement to The Post.
“Ron DeSantis has never been the favorite or the darling of the establishment, and he has won because of it every time. No one in this race has been under fire more and won than Gov. DeSantis. He’s ready to prove them wrong again. Buckle up,” Peck added.
