The Iowa caucus approaches
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suspended his presidential campaign on Monday morning. It wasn’t much of a surprise, though, since he didn’t qualify for the third or fourth RNC debate.
As a side note, I ponder why Asa Hutchinson is still in the race. He said he would decide after Thanksgiving. Tick, tock, Asa. Just pull the plug already.
Burgum is a wealthy man and can stay in the race as long as he chooses to. The same is true with Vivek Ramaswamy. He is beginning to circle the drain but is still ahead of Chris Christie.
Moving along on the campaign trail, the Super PAC that is so active for Governor DeSantis is rearranging its senior leadership. Again. It pains me to say so but the frequent re-grouping doesn’t seem to be doing the DeSantis campaign any favors. I haven’t seen a change in the status quo as I check the Real Clear Politics aggregate. State polls tell the most accurate tale but national polls have their usefulness, too. They can provide a good overview of the whole field. Some top campaign staff have been let go.
Never Back Down chief executive Chris Jankowski stepped down on November 22; Adam Laxalt, chair of the super PAC, announced Friday he would do the same. Then, over the weekend, several key operatives were reportedly fired, including Jankowski’s interim successor Kristin Davison, Director of Operations Matt Palmisano, and Communications Director Erin Perrine. Meanwhile, the DeSantis campaign suggested in a donor memo last week that, while it was still counting on Never Back Down’s early-state field operation, it had greater trust in the TV-ad operation of a newly formed pro-DeSantis super PAC, Fight Right.
Maybe the DeSantis-Newsom debate will help DeSantis out of his rut, along with the 4th RNC debate that is scheduled for Wednesday night. The second Super PAC should be able to help, too.
