Governor Ron DeSantis continues his presidential campaign reboot, as “America’s Governor” appears to have fired or demoted, his campaign manager Generra Peck, and replaced her with his current Chief of Staff James Uthmeier one week before the first Republican presidential debate.
The move was not surprising considering how poorly the campaign launched and has performed in the first few months of its existence, and is also fueling the speculation that Gov. DeSantis could fire other members of his communications staff over messaging missteps that have embarrassed him and his campaign.
"James Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis' top advisors 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," campaign Communications Director Andrew Romeo told Fox News in a statement. "David Polyansky will also be a critical addition to the team given his presidential campaign experience in Iowa and work at Never Back Down. We are excited about these additions as we continue to spread the governor's message across the country. It's time to reverse our nation's decline and revive America's future."
The “reboot” does not portray a healthy campaign to many political operatives, and DeSantis's detractors like Republican political operative Roger Stone, believe the Governor’s presidential campaign is dead on arrival.
“He will be out of money by October 1st and he is out of gas,” said Stone in an interview with The Floridian that will air later this week. “The problem is not Ron DeSantis’s campaign, the problem is Ron DeSantis. There’s nothing likable about him, there’s nothing warm.”
Uthmeier, who has been instrumental in helping DeSantis raise money during the onset of the campaign and pushed his robust, anti-woke legislative agenda within the Florida Legislature, recently told The Messenger that his boss is a proven winner with a lot left in the tank.
"People have written Governor DeSantis’s obituary many times," Uthmeier told The Messanger. "From his race against establishment primary candidate Adam Putnam, to his victory over legacy media-favored candidate Andrew Gillum [in 2018], to his twenty point win over Charlie Crist [in 2022], Governor DeSantis has proven that he knows how to win. 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."
The most recent public opinion polls conducted by The New York Times, Reuters, and Morning Consult, all have former President Donald Trump beating Gov. DeSantis by a range of 34-43 percentage points.
