DeSantis Plans to Reboot Struggling Campaign

Campaign plans 'DeSantis Is Everywhere' strategy
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 21, 2023 5:05 PM CDT
DeSantis Plans to Reboot Struggling Campaign
Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the Celebrate Freedom Foundation Hangar in West Columbia, SC, July 18, 2023.   (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

Ron DeSantis is planning to reboot his struggling campaign with what campaign officials are calling the "DeSantis Is Everywhere" approach. The campaign says there will be a shift away from big speeches and events to appearances in places like diners and churches where DeSantis can talk directly to voters, a change that will also cut costs, NBC News reports. The governor of the country's third most populous state plans to switch to a more national focus and portray himself as an anti-establishment candidate. "Ron DeSantis has never been the favorite or the darling of the establishment, and he has won because of it every time," campaign manager Generra Peck said in a statement. "He's ready to prove them wrong again. Buckle up."

But with the candidate almost 30 points behind frontrunner former President Trump and failing to gain traction, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, some staffers are buckled up for a rough ride. Morale is "downright low," a source who was present when around a dozen aides were fired to cut costs earlier this month tells NBC. "The entire campaign is on the brink," the source says. "I've never seen anything like it." In an interview with CNN earlier this week—his first with a mainstream news outlet since he declared his candidacy—DeSantis dismissed concerns about his campaign. "They've been saying that I've been doing poorly for my whole time as governor, basically," he told Jake Tapper.

While it is still early in the race, and staffers hope the GOP debate next month could shake things up, some analysts doubt DeSantis has much hope of turning things around and closing the gap with Trump. Former Florida GOP strategist Mac Stipanovich tells Vox that DeSantis and his campaign just aren't "measuring up" to the demands of a presidential run. "Now he has to go out and face the media and questioning from people who are not carefully vetted and carefully selected. And he doesn't do well at all because he has no practice at it," Stipanovich says. He adds: "Every time DeSantis raises his head, Trump steps on it, in terms of media coverage." (More Ron DeSantis stories.)

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