DeSantis campaign lays off 38, more than a third of total staff

The layoffs come as DeSantis struggles to make up ground in the polls against former President Donald Trump.

Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign has laid off more than one-third of its staff, the campaign confirmed to the Miami Herald, part of an additional cost-cutting measure from the governor amid a disappointing start to the GOP primary.

DeSantis officials argued the layoffs are a sign that, two months after launching, the campaign is taking the necessary steps to ultimately win the president primary. But the news nonetheless adds to the growing doubts among many Republicans — including some of DeSantis’ own donors — in the governor’s ability to build and sustain a campaign capable of defeating former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican primary’s frontrunner.

“Following a top-to-bottom review of our organization, we have taken additional, aggressive steps to streamline operations and put Ron DeSantis in the strongest position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden,” DeSantis campaign manager Generra Peck said in a statement. “Governor DeSantis is going to lead the Great American Comeback and we’re ready to hit the ground running as we head into an important month of the campaign.”

The campaign let 38 staffers go, the Herald reported. The number includes a handful of campaign workers who were laid off earlier this month. Campaign finance records filed this month showed that DeSantis had about 90 staffers working for his campaign.

News of the additional layoffs was first reported by Politico.

The layoffs are part of a sweeping effort to retool DeSantis’ campaign as it struggles to make up ground on Trump, his chief rival for the 2024 Republican nomination.

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