Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is cutting his campaign payroll and shedding some staff as part of an attempt to tighten up his finances and retool his struggling campaign roughly three months out from the start of the nomination race.
As first reported by Bloomberg Politics, the Bush camp is enacting across-the-board pay cuts and downsizing staff in its Miami headquarters. Some senior advisers also will start working on a voluntary basis.
Allie Brandenburger, a Bush spokeswoman, said in an email to The Washington Times that the changes are being made “to ensure Jeb is best positioned to win the nomination and general election.”
“Jeb is the one candidate with a proven conservative record, bold ideas and the strong leadership needed to fix the problems America faces,” Ms. Brandenburger said. “We are moving our resources into the states to ensure that voters in primary and caucus states are introduced to his record and vision for the future.”
The belt-tightening will save the campaign about $1 million per month, and is part of the Bush camp’s plan to put a greater focus on voter contact and bolstering their operations in the key early primary states, the Bloomberg Politics report said.
The moves come amid growing concerns from supporters and donors about Mr. Bush’s stagnant poll numbers and his inability to breakthrough in a race that is being dominated by a group of outsiders led by real estate mogul Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Some GOP analysts expected Mr. Bush would have gained more traction in the race given the conservative record he compiled in Florida, and how his family dynasty and its robust national fundraising network helped his campaign and its allied super PAC raise a staggering $114 million in the first half of the year.
Mr. Bush, though, has struggled to woo voters, including conservatives who are at odds with him over immigration and Common Core education standards.
After millions of dollars have been sunk into pro-Bush ads, the 62-year-old is running fifth in national polls, behind Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson, as well as Sen. Marco Rubio, a fellow Florida Republican, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Mr. Bush also is polling fifth in Iowa and third in New Hampshire, trailing Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson in both states.
Moving forward, the Bush camp plans to put a special focus on New Hampshire, where it has 12 paid staffers, and plans to reinforce its efforts with some of the staff being moved out of the Miami headquarters.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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