Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in the process of a major headcount reduction for his presidential campaign, cutting payrolls that had grown to more than 90 people in his first two months as a candidate by more than a third, according to four people with knowledge of the decision.
The DeSantis campaign has now made two cuts in the past week and has eliminated the jobs of 38 aides this month, a figure nearly as large as former President Donald J. Trump’s total campaign staff in 2024. Politico first reported on the latest cut.
DeSantis has struggled to gain traction in his first months as a candidate, losing ground to Mr. Trump in the polls as allies and donors raised questions about the long-term strength of his candidacy.
Those concerns came to a head after the first public glimpse into his campaign finances this month. It showed that Mr. DeSantis’ payroll was about twice that of Mr. Trump’s and that he was burning 40 percent of the $20 million he raised from April to June. Mr. DeSantis’ heavy use of private jets and his decision to rent luxury venues for a number of fundraising events, including a donor retreat in Utah last weekend, drew additional attention.
Mr. DeSantis went into July with just $9 million to spend on the first race from his first pull. A significant portion came from donors who gave the maximum amount possible, meaning they can’t contribute again.
The cuts are seen internally as a recognition that not only must cuts be made, but also that fundraising is expected to become more difficult in the coming months. Many larger donors are now shocked by Mr. DeSantis’ plummeting polls and may be less inclined to risk being on the wrong side of Mr. Trump than they were a few months ago when Mr. DeSantis looked more competitive.
A DeSantis donor, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid, said he expected the next quarter of fundraising to be an extremely tough job and that donor interest in Mr. DeSantis has dried up significantly.
In a statement, the campaign manager of Mr. DeSantis, Generra Peck, that the changes followed “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 beat Joe Biden,” she said.
There have been some shifts in leadership of the campaign, which is based in Tallahassee: Ethan Eilon, who had served as digital director, is now deputy campaign manager. Carl Sceusa, who had overseen the campaign’s technology, is now the chief financial officer.
On Tuesday, Mr. DeSantis was on a three-stop fundraiser across Tennessee when his four-car motorcade stalled after traffic suddenly slowed. A campaign worker was slightly injured, but the governor was unharmed.
Thursday Mr. DeSantis returns to Iowa for two days of events and his first bus trip in the state. But to cut costs, his campaign doesn’t curate the tour. His main super PAC does so instead, inviting Mr. DeSantis as a “special guest.”
The pay cut came after a donor retreat in Park City, Utah, where Mr. DeSantis gathered about 70 top supporters. They enjoyed s’mores on deck and cocktails as campaign officials and super PAC advisers gave presentations on the state of the race.
Two people at the donor event said that despite the alarming campaign declaration dominating coverage of Mr. DeSantis going into the weekend, there was very little talk about it by campaign officials during formal sessions. Instead, they focused on the idea of balancing the ship, making adjustments, and trying to find ways to help Mr. DeSantis spread his message.
Mr. DeSantis himself held an interactive session with donors, who pitched suggestions for zingers for next month’s debate. Among the Republicans seen at the retreat was Phil Cox, who was a top adviser in Mr. DeSantis’ 2022 campaign and was initially considered for a top role in his super PAC for 2024. Instead, Mr. Cox is helping the campaign himself with fundraising and some informal support.
Nick Iarossi, a Tallahassee lobbyist and DeSantis supporter who attended the retreat, said the weekend went well.
“Campaign manager Generra Peck and the team assured backers of a new campaign style for the insurgency,” Iarossi said before announcing the latest round of cuts. “It will be a streamlined, efficient and tactical campaign that will focus on return on investment. They are quick to delete things that do not yield results.”
In Utah, the leadership of Mrs. Peck a focus of some donors in private conversations among themselves, according to people familiar with the discussions. But the weekend ended with Mrs. Peck, who has made herself indispensable to both Mr. DeSantis and his wife, Casey, still in charge.
