Three of Jeb Bush’s top fundraisers — Kris Money, Trey McCarley, and Debbie Aleksander — unexpectedly left his campaign, Politico reports.
The circumstances surrounding the departure are unclear. The three, who are still working for Bush’s Right to Rise Super PAC, claim that they left voluntarily because of “personality problems.” Others say that they were let go because they weren’t raising enough money.
A spokesperson for the Bush campaign, Tim Miller, told Politico that the governor has “the widest and deeper fundraising operation of any candidate in the field,” and it will remain under the leadership of Ann Herberger, a longtime aide with over 20 years of both state and national political experience.
The campaign is apparently looking to replace the departed fundraisers. According to Politico, it has approached Meredith O’Rourke, a top Florida Republican fundraiser who briefly worked on the Chris Christie campaign from May to July.
Bush has recently slipped from second to third place in national polls, and his fundraising pace has decelerated in recent months. However, donors remain unconcerned.
Politico writes that Bush is likely to remain the Republican party’s top fundraiser, but he also spends significantly more than his fellow candidates. A campaign consultant told Politico, “Jeb has a big army, and that army needs to be fed. Jeb might not have a fundraiser problem. He might have a spending problem.”
Of course, Donald Trump had to comment on the matter:
Wow, Jeb Bush just lost three of his top fundraisers – they quit!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2015