Another sign of Ron DeSantis' struggle to gain traction in the polls: He now has a new campaign manager. The Messenger reports that the Florida governor has demoted Generra Peck to chief strategist and put adviser James Uthmeier in charge. Uthmeier is DeSantis' gubernatorial chief of staff and is described by the outlet as one of the governor's "most trusted, and most conservative, advisers." The move comes just weeks after a major overhaul of the campaign that included about a third of its staffers being let go, notes Politico. The job of Peck, who most recently led DeSantis' easy reelection victory as governor, was thought to be safe at the time.
The latest shuffle comes amid dissatisfaction from donors that the governor wasn't taking aggressive enough action to right the campaign. He trails Trump by 30 points or more in most major polls, according to Real Clear Politics. Uthmeier is already trying to shift the narrative. "People have written Governor DeSantis' obituary many times," he tells the Messenger. But "he's breaking records on fundraising and has a supporting super PAC with $100 million in the bank and an incredible ground game. Get ready." Politico notes that Uthmeier has been involved with many of DeSantis' high-profile initiatives, including the move to ship migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard last year. (More Ron DeSantis 2024 stories.)
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