Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign shows signs of stalling, as they cut some staff and saw some troubling funding figures this week.
The campaign on Thursday laid off ‘fewer than ten’ staff in the event planning department.
A source told Politico that activists may soon find a role at the super PAC Never Back Down, which is technically not affiliated with the campaign.
DeSantis also announced that his campaign raised $20 million in the first six weeks after announcing he was running for president.
While that’s a rough number, it found that more than a third of the cash — $5.8 million of the $16.8 million — that came from donors who gave more than $200 was given in the first 10 days of the campaign.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign shows signs of stalling, as they cut some staff and saw some troubling funding figures this week.
Other troubling figures, Politico reported, include more than $3 million in funding left untouched by DeSantis until after the primary, and only $2.8 million in funding from smaller donors, likely to be trampled by President Trump.
The Florida governor was seen as a potential thorn in the side of former President Donald Trump’s 2024 run, but polling still has him trailing Trump significantly in a crowded Republican primary.
DeSantis continued his campaign on Saturday to say he would consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a possible running mate, should he win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and dismissed recent accusations by former President Donald Trump as ‘totally out of hand.’
‘Absolutely,’ said DeSantis when asked if he would consider a second term as a Republican. ‘I mean, he’s one of America’s top public servants.’
Trump last week criticized Reynolds, hugely popular among the state’s GOP base, for his seemingly cozy relationship with DeSantis while touting his public neutrality as the leading Republican figure in the state hosting the lead-off presidential caucuses in less than six months.
Reynolds has appeared with other GOP White House prospects, but has moderated conversations with DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis, including attending Trump’s first campaign event in Iowa last March.
DeSantis noted that he and Reynolds joked about their similar records and the playful rivalry between the two states, where conservative policies have advanced this year.
Notably, when Reynolds appeared at a presidential candidate forum on Friday, DeSantis and five others attended, he received a standing ovation and signed a strict abortion ban in front of an audience of about 2,000 Christian conservatives.
DeSantis also announced that his campaign raised $20 million in the first six weeks after announcing he was running for president.
The fundraising numbers were solid but could be passed by former President Donald Trump, who maintains a large lead in the polls
On Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, the former president credited the governorship opening to Reynolds, who stepped into the role after Republican Gov. Terry Branstad became U.S. ambassador to China during the Trump administration.
‘Now, he wants to remain ‘neutral’.’ Trump wrote that he would not invite her to his campaign events.
Trump will be in Iowa on Tuesday to participate in a town hall-style event with Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity.
Reynolds, elected in his own right in 2018 and easily re-elected last year, has been mentioned as a possible 2024 running mate, though Iowa GOP insiders have suggested the former state senator and rural county treasurer was ambivalent about the role.
DeSantis, who campaigned Friday and Saturday in Iowa, said voters came to him to express frustration with Trump’s criticism of Reynolds.
Polls taken since early July show Trump leading DeSantis by anywhere between 26 and 41 points.
A conservative-leaning American Greatness poll taken 10 days ago showed a slightly narrower margin in Iowa, with Trump leading the all-important caucus 44 to 21.
The most recent poll in South Carolina, where Canvaser’s video comes from, shows Trump leading DeSantis 41 to 18 in a June 20-21 poll.
DeSantis continued his campaign Saturday to consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a possible running mate.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (left) remains neutral in the 2024 presidential primary, but Team Trump worries she’s getting too cozy with Trump’s main rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right).
The former president lashed out at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, suggesting she owed her governorship to her in 2017 after she nominated Gov. Terry Branstad to serve as her ambassador to China, which elevated her to the rank of governor.
Trump’s campaign said Wednesday that he raised $35 million in the second quarter of the year, nearly double what he raised in the first three months of the year.
The money was raised from April to June between his main campaign account and a joint fundraising account, used for expenses such as paying his legal bills.
Trump’s fundraising has exploded since the indictments in New York and Florida, and he faces additional scrutiny that could further sap his ability to raise money.
President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee have raised more than $72 million for his re-election in the 10 weeks since he announced his 2024 candidacy, his campaign announced Friday, bolstered by an incumbent but not a record.
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