DeSantis moves to stop his backward slide by ousting campaign manager, revamping strategy

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has replaced his presidential campaign manager in the latest effort at a course correction in a run that, despite its missteps, is the most formidable Republican challenge to former President Donald Trump.

In his third shake-up in recent weeks, Mr. DeSantis took the keys to the campaign away from Generra Peck, who led his successful gubernatorial campaign last year. He handed them over to James Uthmeier, a longtime ally who had been serving as Mr. DeSantis’ gubernatorial chief of staff. Ms. Peck will stay on as a top adviser.

“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.

In another move, Republican operative David Polyansky is joining the campaign team. Mr. Polyansky, who worked on the early-state strategy at the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, is a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and advised the 2016 presidential campaign of former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

The rearrangement highlights Mr. DeSantis’ struggle to find the right combination of personnel, strategy and message to move the needle against Mr. Trump and reassure donors that his campaign is on track.

“I don’t know @GenerraPeck well, but I do know the job she was hired to do having done it myself,” said Mike Biundo, who served as a senior adviser to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. “My sense is she is just collateral damage in a DeSantis campaign that has not gone as planned.”

Mr. DeSantis recently held some sparsely attended campaign events, including one in Tama, Iowa, that was captured in a photograph showing more empty green bleachers than people. The photo went viral online.

He also has been battered by reports that his big donors are jumping ship. Budget Suites of America founder Robert Bigelow told Reuters last week that he will end financial support for the campaign if Mr. DeSantis doesn’t pursue moderate voters more aggressively and prove that he can raise money independently.

“I’m already too big a percentage,” Mr. Bigelow said of bankrolling the campaign. “A lot of his donors are still on the fence.”

In the past month, Mr. DeSantis has slid in the polls in Iowa from the 20s to about 17%. In the race for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, he went from the mid-20s to about 15%.

Some observers said the campaign shake-up was not necessarily a bad sign. Mr. Trump changed his campaign leadership more than once before he captured the Republican nomination in 2016.

Still, the staff overhaul on Team DeSantis provided more fodder for the governor’s critics and fed into lingering concerns that the problem might not be the campaign but the candidate.

“SHAKEUP! Is this DeSanctimonious Reboot 4.0?” Trump adviser Jason Miller said on X, the social media site formerly called Twitter.

The DeSantis campaign was in the middle of a reboot to emphasize smaller events so the governor could meet voters on a more personal level. Campaign staff also have made the candidate more available to news media.

As part of the reboot, Mr. DeSantis plans to visit all 99 counties in Iowa, which could make or break his presidential aspirations.

He is returning to Iowa this week for a series of events. At the iconic Iowa State Fair, he will sit down with Gov. Kim Reynolds for a one-on-one fireside chat.

Mr. DeSantis is not scheduled to speak at the soapbox sponsored by the Des Moines Register.

Mr. Trump reportedly plans to attend the fair but will not participate in any of the candidate events.

Mr. DeSantis is becoming more of a familiar face in Iowa. His visit will mark the fourth straight weekend he has been in the state.

The 44-year-old father of three was all the rage coming out of the 2022 elections after winning reelection in a landslide, leading the party to gains up and down the ticket and passing a list of conservative legislation, including a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

That momentum burned off quickly. Mr. Trump’s hold on the base of the Republican Party made it nearly impossible for his rivals to gain ground. Questions also lingered about Mr. DeSantis’ ability to connect with voters.

Compared with his non-Trump rivals, Mr. DeSantis has a lot going for him.

The DeSantis campaign had $12 million in the bank at the end of June and has five months to catch fire before the Iowa caucuses in January, which kick off the Republican nomination race.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has been burning through cash.

The pro-Trump Save America PAC has spent roughly $60 million on legal fees, according to news reports that have raised questions about his long-term cash flow.

The pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC had close to $100 million in the bank at the end of June. The group is leading a massive door-knocking operation that his supporters are betting will pay off over the long haul.

The caucuses will be a key test of Mr. Trump’s political sway, specifically among evangelical Christian voters, and will go a long way in determining whether Mr. DeSantis or someone else can steal the spotlight.

Bob Vander Plaats, head of the influential Family Leader, a Christian conservative group, said Iowans have an appetite for turning the page from Mr. Trump. He pointed to a poll that showed half of voters who supported Mr. Trump are now looking for an alternative.

“There is an exhaustion level happening,” Mr. Vander Plaats said in an interview with conservative Iowa radio host Steve Deace. “If the caucus were held today, I don’t believe Trump wins. I think it is probably DeSantis who wins.

“People want a vision for the future,” he said.