The flagging GOP presidential campaign of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is cutting staff at its Miami headquarters to save more than $1 million per month and slash payroll by 40 percent this week, according to reports on Friday.
Politico reported that staffers were informed of the changes on a conference call.
“This is about winning the race,” an anonymous campaign adviser told Bloomberg Politics. on Friday. “We’re doing it now and making the shifts with confidence. We expect to win.”
From the Bloomberg report:
Bush’s advisers, under pressure from their donors and from falling and stagnant poll numbers, have been discussing ways to retool the campaign in recent days, and came to the conclusion that a course correction was essential. While recent tangles with Donald Trump have energized the campaign, Bush’s senior team recognized a more fundamental set of changes was required that didn’t involve dealing directly with the party’s surprising—and surprisingly durable—front-runner.
It’s unclear if Bush was on the call. The National Journal reported Bush was headed to Virginia.
Kristy Campbell, Bush’s campaign spokeswoman, said resources are being shifted into early primary and caucus states.
“Jeb is the one candidate with a proven conservative record, bold ideas and the strong leadership needed to fix the problems America faces,” Campbell said in a statement to the Washington Post. “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.”
This post has been updated
