Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made more significant changes to his presidential campaign, focusing on its leadership by replacing his campaign manager, Generra Peck, with his longtime chief of staff, James Uthmeier. What took so long? Supporters and donors have been calling for this critical decision since June.
The third DeSantis campaign “reload,” which up until now had involved mostly mid-level staff, did not go unnoticed by Trump’s most obnoxious spokesperson, Steven Cheung.
However, if changing personnel is a sign of a failed operation, might that also explain Trump’s four press secretaries: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany? And that doesn’t include Trump’s five different White House communications directors: Sean Spicer, Mike Dubke, Sean Spicer (again), Anthony Scaramucci (who spent less time on the job than that Pope who got poisoned), Hope Hicks, and Bill Shine.
Still, this latest move by Team DeSantis comes as the Governor continues trailing former President Donald Trump, according to selective polling data. DeSantis has reduced his campaign staff costs by repositioning 40 percent of his campaign staff.
The reload is seen as an attempt to change the dynamics of the campaign and boost morale. Uthmeier, more aligned with DeSantis politically, will work alongside Peck as a senior “strategist” to put the governor in the best position to win the primary and defeat Joe Biden. David Polyansky, a longtime Iowa GOP operative, will serve as deputy campaign manager, highlighting the importance of Iowa in DeSantis’ campaign strategy.
The campaign reload coincides with DeSantis’ preparations for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee on August 23. DeSantis has enlisted the help of seasoned debate coach Brett O’Donnell and has been holding regular Q&A sessions to prepare for potential attacks from his rivals. However, there is uncertainty about whether Trump, currently the frontrunner in the GOP primary, will attend the debate. If Trump skips the debate, DeSantis’ campaign believes it could hurt the former president with primary voters who want to see him on stage.
DeSantis has also been preparing for the possibility of Trump showing up at the debate and has emphasized the importance of making the case to the people about why he is the better choice to be president. He has also recently highlighted Trump’s legal woes and argued that Republicans should focus on the people’s aspirations for the future rather than trivial distractions.
DeSantis’ well-financed campaign has undergone multiple changes this summer, including a pivot on spending and a new approach to the media, as the governor aims to address concerns about his White House bid. This strategy has seen him sit down for interviews with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and, most recently, NBC’s Dasha Burns:
Overall, the changes in DeSantis’ campaign leadership and his preparations for the upcoming debate reflect his determination to regain momentum and close the gap with Trump. With a focus on Iowa and a strategy to withstand attacks from his rivals, DeSantis is positioning himself as not only a strong contender in the Republican primary but also as the only viable alternative to Donald Trump.
As the campaign progresses, it will be interesting to see how this latest reload and debate preparations impact DeSantis’ standing in the polls, and his chances of securing the nomination.