(RightWing.org) – After many months of “will he, won’t he,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally tossed his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination on May 24. While he’s second in popularity only to former President Donald Trump, his campaign is struggling. Perhaps his glitchy announcement was a sign of things to come. Either way, he has begun making significant changes and even recently expressed dissatisfaction with his online campaign.
Campaign Hiccups
When DeSantis announced his intentions to run, he hit the ground running with a very proactive campaign team. The governor himself was also pushing forward, even taking aim at Trump, who he had previously ignored. However, just two months into his bid, the team laid off more than 40% of its staff. POLITICO reported that 38 staffers were let go, a figure that included 10 event planning positions.
There were several concerns, including how fast the campaign was burning through its funds. Then, there was the issue of a Nazi-themed video that was posted, for which Nate Hochman was fired. There were a lot of rumblings over the firing of a single person when it was the work of many.
Online Campaign Struggles
There have been several notable issues with DeSantis’ online campaign, particularly on Twitter, now branded as X, where his former press secretary, Christina Pushaw, and fired staffer, Nate Hochman, have reportedly engaged in verbal sparring. The governor recently appeared on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” where the host asked him about the “petty Twitter squabbles.” He acknowledged that he doesn’t pay much attention to it because it’s “not [his] cup of tea.” He also said he’s not “somebody who’s following it very closely.”
DeSantis said that it’s part of his rapid response team, and “there’s a place for that,” but he doesn’t have anything to do with it. He’s more focused on the issues that affect voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, the sites of the first Republican primaries that will take place early next year.
Current Polling
If recent polls are any indication, DeSantis has quite a bit of work to do. Trump is his biggest competition, and despite having been indicted for a third time on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy against rights, he still holds a significant percentage lead over the Florida governor. RealClearPolitics, which keeps an updated log of surveys, shows that Trump still leads DeSantis by an average of 30% or more. If he has any chance of beating the former president for the nomination, he has to solve these campaign hiccups — and soon.
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