TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is shaking up his campaign leadership, bringing in James Uthmeier, his longtime chief of staff, as his new presidential campaign manager, the latest move in a reset that is now almost a month in the making.
Out is Generra Peck, who served as DeSantis’ campaign manager through his 2022 re-election and during the tumultuous first three months of his presidential campaign. DeSantis trails Donald Trump in most public polling, and he has already laid off 40% of his initial campaign staff in an attempt to cut costs.
“Gov. DeSantis has to change the dynamics. That much is clear,” DeSantis donor Dan Eberhart said. “This is a realignment rather than a reset because both folks were already senior advisers.”
Peck, whose exit was first reported by The Messenger, will stay on as a senior adviser. NBC News first reportedthat top DeSantis allies were pushing for a change at the top of the campaign as his launch did not go as well as expected.
Uthmeier, the chief of staff in DeSantis’ formal office, will serve as campaign manager at a key moment for the campaign. Top aides see the first debate scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee as a key moment for DeSantis to regain some momentum and try to close the gap with Trump.
“James Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis’ top advisers for years and he is needed where it matters most: working hand in hand with Generra Peck and the rest of the team to put the governor in the best possible position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden,” Andrew Romeo, the campaign’s communications director, said in a statement.
He said that David Polyansky, a longtime Iowa GOP operative, will now serve as deputy campaign manager. Iowa is increasingly seen as a make-or-break state for DeSantis, who would struggle to maintain any momentum if he does too poorly in the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.
Uthmeier was first hired as DeSantis’ chief of staff in September 2021, and he has been seen as more in line with DeSantis politically than his first two chiefs of staff, who were veterans of Florida politics and the legislative process and seen more as political operators than culture war crusaders.
Uthmeier received his law degree from Georgetown University and is well connected in conservative legal circles, including being a member of the Federalist Society.
Peck’s ouster is the latest in a weekslong shake-up of DeSantis’ campaign personnel and strategy.
One adviser to a rival GOP campaign, noting the many “reboot” storylines in recent weeks, reacted to the news Tuesday with a mocking text message.
“#threeboot,” the adviser wrote.
Matt Dixon reported from Tallahassee, Florida, and Jonathan Allen from Washington, D.C.
Henry J. Gomez contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
