Spokesman for Governor Kemp moves to the DeSantis campaign

The DeSantis presidential campaign is reported to be undergoing a reboot. There will be less of a focus on Florida, leaner events and more of an insurgent approach. The changes are seen as a significant shift on messaging, events and media strategy.

It’s now or never, in my opinion. It’s time to start shaking things up and do things a little differently so that DeSantis can begin making progress against Trump in the race. His campaign seems to have stalled out and it’s time to goose it. He will start running as “an insurgent candidate rather than as an incumbent governor.” Good. It’s time for that. He isn’t running to be governor again – he already did that and crushed it with a 20 point victory. It’s time to talk as a national candidate, not just the governor of Florida.

It’s being reported that there will be fewer big speeches and more retail politics. That means more visits to diners and churches to shake hands and look voters in the eye. Explain to small groups why he is the guy to lead the country. His record in Florida is stellar and he is entitled to be proud of it. It’s time, though, to get past the commentary on “wokeism” and address policy.

DeSantis has already begun to branch out to mainstream media instead of remaining comfortable with conservative outlets, particularly Fox. He did very well with his interview with Jake Tapper on CNN and that caught the attention of some who were ready to write DeSantis off, since Trump is still the clear frontrunner.

“Ron DeSantis has never been the favorite or the darling of the establishment, and he has won because of it every time. No one in this race has been under fire more and won than Gov. DeSantis. He’s ready to prove them wrong again. Buckle up,” DeSantis campaign manager Generra Peck said in a statement to NBC News.

The campaign is burning through money and that has to stop. An excessive number of staffers were hired too early and that hurt the bottom line. Morale among staff is said to be low. One person said the campaign is “on the brink.” I would take all that with a big grain of salt. It sounds like a combination of the legacy media looking to ding DeSantis because Democrats want to run against Trump and nothing tanks a campaign faster than low morale. Cutting some staff and raising more money while spending less will begin the turnaround.

DeSantis has begun to speak about national issues like national security and the military. There is plenty there that he can address. He is the only veteran in the race. The Biden administration is busy conducting social experiments within the military and DeSantis can dovetail social issues with national security issues.

Legacy media is enjoying reporting that DeSantis may have waited too long to reboot. Malarkey. There is a month until the first debate. DeSantis may have been spending money too quickly but he still raised more than any other GOP candidate from mid-May to the end of June. One problem that raised a red flag is that some big donors have maxed out and can’t donate again.

Other candidates — including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and even Trump — all had higher spending rates than DeSantis. But with less cash in the bank ($12.2 million to Trump’s $22.5 million) and the high number of maxed-out donors, solvency became a real question.

The full extent of the campaign’s dire financial picture became clear to the broader team only after the June 30 end-of-quarter reporting deadline, said two sources familiar with the situation, who asked to remain anonymous because they weren’t authorized to share information on behalf of the campaign.

The campaign postponed paying some of its outstanding bills until after the end of June, in part so its second-quarter financial report would show more money in the bank, the sources said. It’s not an uncommon practice for campaigns running up against big reporting deadlines, but it can obscure larger issues.

The rumors of the death of his campaign are greatly exaggerated.

The “DeSantis is Everywhere” strategy is underway. Fresh faces and shifting duties around in staffing decisions is happening.

They’re dubbing it the “DeSantis Is Everywhere” approach, and they’re bringing on a new hire and solidifying the communications team to help execute it. Cody Hall is joining the campaign as a senior communications adviser. He will remain a top political adviser to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, having also served as communications director after he worked on his 2018 campaign for governor. Campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo is stepping into the communications director role, and Bryan Griffin will continue as press secretary.

The DeSantis campaign is known for its excellent communication team. The war room effort on social media is second to none. Cody Hall is credited with Governor Kemp’s good relationship with the Georgia state Capitol press corps during his first term in office. He managed Kemp’s press strategy during his 2022 reelection campaign when the governor was able to separate himself from other statewide candidates like Herschel Walker. Walker only spoke to conservative outlets. Kemp held frequent press conferences on the campaign trail and made himself available to local and national media outlets. Kemp won reelection.

There is time for the reboot. This race isn’t over yet.