As Ron DeSantis struggles to gain support for his 2024 presidential bid, he replaced his campaign manager in the latest shakeup, according to The Hill. The Florida governor reportedly replaced Generra Peck, who will continue to work as the chief strategist, with his gubernatorial chief of staff James Uthmeier.
The governor’s communication director Andrew Romeo said that Uthmeier has served as DeSantis’ advisor for many years and will now work with Peck to win the primary and then the general election.
The campaign initially made other financial changes, including cutting staff and expenses. DeSantis’ availability will also be made more open to the media. But donors were not happy with those changes, causing DeSantis to look to Uthmeier for a diagnosis of what is plaguing the sinking campaign.
About two dozen staffers were reportedly laid off as the campaign struggled with finances. That financial hardship comes as DeSantis’ support is sinking. Where he once had around 26 percent of support from likely GOP voters, he is now positioned at around 15 percent compared to the former president’s 45 percent.
But despite what insiders might say about the campaign, Uthmeier is not writing the governor off just yet. He assured that DeSantis “knows how to win,” citing his victories over Adam Putnam, Andrew Gillum, and then Charlie Crist. The campaign manager also said that DeSantis has about $100 million in the bank from a super PAC.
Other shakeups are happening in the campaign. David Polyansky will be working side by side with Uthmeier as a deputy campaign manager. He reportedly brags about never losing a Republican presidential primary in the first caucus state, which is important for DeSantis to win.
The news comes as Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Georgia for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to CNN.
