If a major political campaign can be seen as a private company, Ron DeSantis, Inc. is in a recession.
The man running a distant second in the polls to Donald Trump raised $20 million in the second quarter. But a good slice of that money has already been spent, and Politico is reporting that most of the big-dollar donors DeSantis has been relying on have maxed out their contributions.
To make matters worse, DeSantis is lagging in small-dollar donations. Where Donald Trump has raised 81.8% of his campaign funds from donations totaling $200 or less, DeSantis has raised 17.3%. Only Asa Hutchison (14.3%), Doug Burgum (13.1%), and Francis Suarez (3.1%) have raised less money via these critical small-dollar contributions.
As we’ve seen in recent years, money isn’t everything, but large amounts of it sure don’t hurt.
Related: What Did the DeSantis Campaign Tell Donors at a Weekend Retreat?
The fall of Ron DeSantis in the polls has necessitated severe staff cutbacks. But we’re still seven months out from the first primaries, and in the next two months, voters are going to have a couple of opportunities to see Ron DeSantis in the GOP debates.
“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. “Gov. 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.”
During a donor retreat in Deer Valley, Utah, last week, Peck acknowledged that the campaign had overspent in some areas and that further adjustments would need to be made. Advisers also outlined plans for DeSantis — who has been criticized for overseeing a bloated operation — to reposition himself as an insurgent underdog. They also said they would aim to reduce costs by doing smaller, more intimate events and cutting down its travel expenditures.
Some aides will be leaving the campaign but not the broader effort to elect DeSantis. Both Abrams and Obenshain are expected to help an outside pro-DeSantis group.
The question now is whether donors will do a little pivoting of their own and look elsewhere in the GOP field to throw their support. A Fox Business survey released on Sunday reveals that just five points separate DeSantis and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott in Iowa. Trump remains far ahead, but unless DeSantis can right the ship, the race for the main alternative to the former president will go to someone else.
Gov. Ron DeSantis plans a bus tour through parts of Iowa next week and new polling from the Hawkeye State suggests he needs it.
A Fox Business survey released on Sunday reveals just five points separate the Florida Governor and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
DeSantis has 16% support, with Scott at 11%.
Both contenders are far behind Donald Trump, who is 46%.
The rest of the field is in single digits: Vivek Ramaswamy at 6%, Nikki Haley at 5%, Mike Pence at 4%, Chris Christie and Doug Burgum at 3% each, and Asa Hutchinson and Francis Suarez at 1%.
Iowa and New Hampshire are known for wreaking havoc on the campaigns of front-runners. The voters in those states take their responsibility for choosing primary candidates very seriously. Tim Scott is a relative unknown, and the fact that he has surged in recent weeks speaks well of the man and his campaign.
But it’s far too early to rule out DeSantis or claim that Scott is a viable alternative to Trump. That will be decided after a few of the upcoming debates where someone entirely unexpected may emerge to challenge Trump for the top spot.
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