Jeb Bush, once the assumed front-runner in the Republican nomination contest, has seen his support plummet in recent months as other, less established candidates have captured the attention of voters. In the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, only 7% of registered Republicans said they preferred Bush for the party nomination, compared with 32% and 22% for Donald Trump and Ben Carson, respectively.
Now Bush is instituting across-the-board pay cuts for campaign staff, removing some senior staff and consultants, and downsizing the Miami headquarters, according to a Bloomberg report. In all, Bush plans to cut payroll by 40% and reduce expenses by $1 million per month. Meanwhile, the budget will be scaled back by 45% in a wholesale restructuring intended to revitalize the flagging Bush campaign.
Bush plans to refocus his efforts on New Hampshire, Iowa, and other early voting states: “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 campaign said in a statement. He’ll also spend less time at fundraisers and more time interacting with voters in forums such as town halls and meet-and-greets, according to Bloomberg.
By many measures, Bush’s campaign has been the most expensive of the Republican candidates, spending $9.8 million on early state ads and almost $1 million on chartered flights alone, Politico reported. Bush’s third-quarter fund raising amounted to $13.4 million.
