DeSantis Campaign Struggles: Facing a Critical Crossroads

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s 2024 presidential campaign is certainly facing significant challenges. 

Here are the details. 

DeSantis Campaign Struggles: Facing a Critical Crossroads

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s 2024 Presidential campaign has been struggling to gain stability amid facing internal turmoil.  

The Governor entered the Presidential race with great momentum, with people considering him as one of the strong opponents to former President Donald Trump for the Republican Presidential nomination.  

However, with the passing months, the DeSantis campaign began experiencing many challenges. One of DeSantis’s closest advisers, Ryan Tyson, has reportedly said that the Florida governor’s campaign is at a point where they need to “make the patient comfortable,” indicating that his team must care about the 2024 presidential bid. 

The primary reason for DeSantis’s diminishing influence as a presidential candidate can be a series of changes in his campaign staff and the long-running internal disturbances at the super PAC, Never Back Down, that backs DeSantis’s Presidential campaign. The super PAC’s chief executive, Chris Jankowski, resigned after internal disputes among DeSantis’s supporters intensified in November.

In the beginning of this month a close-friend of the Florida Governor, Adam Laxalt quit from his position as the board chairman. Soon, on the same December evening, when the Florida governor celebrated his visit to the last of Iowa’s 99 counties, the three top officials at PAC were fired.

Two of these included Kristin Davison, who was appointed chief executive after serving as chief operating officer of the super PAC, and Erin Perrine, a spokeswoman for the group. Recently, the PAC’s chief strategist, Jeff Roe, resigned. 

Financial Hurdles and Fundraising Efforts

DeSantis’s presidential campaign has also been facing a financial crisis since launching his bid despite raising more funds in the first quarter than any GOP primary candidate other than Trump. 

According to the reports, DeSantis raised $31.3 million through the end of September. Out of this, $23.8 million came from about 3,800 donors who gave at least the maximum amount of $3,300.  

As per information provided by DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo in October, his campaign raised $15 million in three months through campaigning, a joint fundraising committee, and his leadership PAC.  

With the maximum spending, the Florida governor reportedly had $5 million in cash available for the primary. With this fund, many political experts question his ability to compete with the GOP front-runner. 

According to the sources, one of DeSantis’ donors said, “The cash crunch has accelerated in the past month. It’s a huge problem. If it continues to trend downwards and Trump continues to poll ahead, at some point, they’re going to have to figure out if it makes sense to pull out and save face for 2028.” Moreover, most of DeSantis’ major donors have already donated the maximum amount for the primary. This means the Florida Governor may receive a small fund in the coming months. 

Regardless, Romeo has denied DeSantis’s campaign chaos and has assured of winning the upcoming election. He said, “Different days, the same media hit jobs based on unnamed sources with agendas. While the media tried to proclaim this campaign dead back in August, Ron DeSantis fought back and entered the home stretch in Iowa as the hardest-working candidate with the most robust ground game. DeSantis has been underestimated in every race he’s ever run and always proved the doubters wrong. We are confident he will defy the odds once again on January 15.”

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Potential Impact on 2024 Presidential Race

The constant staff changes, layoffs, and reported disturbances show that DeSantis’s presidential campaign has faced significant challenges in maintaining internal stability.  

DeSantis entered the presidential race as a great alternative to Trump for his notable conservative political stances on several important issues. But few circumstances have affected his run, pushing his campaign in jeopardy.    

DeSantis did not have a big inner circle to fill his campaign and a super PAC with close supporters. As such, the PAC’s staff and campaign have been facing a conflict since the beginning. Experts have also pointed out that DeSantis’s delayed entry into the presidential race after the end of Florida’s legislative session has also affected his campaign because it gave Trump the opportunity to appeal to people and gain their support last winter. 

DeSantis announced his 2024 presidential candidacy in May, five months after Trump launched his candidacy. The former president used those months to attack the Florida governor, who had yet to declare his run. Trump’s presence in the 2024 presidential race has posed a big challenge for DeSantis’s campaign. 

The polling data even shows the worst scenario for DeSantis’s presidential bid. According to recent polls, Trump leads for the GOP nomination with more than 50 percentage points, showing 64% support of Republican primary voters nationwide. 

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador who was earlier competing with the Florida Governor for the second spot after Trump, is now at second with 11 percentage points. DeSantis’s polling number has fallen to third place with 9 percentage points. 

However, DeSantis is still hoping to make a comeback in 2024. Therefore, it remains to be seen how DeSantis overcomes his campaign challenges and competes with his other opponents who are constantly rising in the presidential race.