Campaign Report — Turmoil threatens DeSantis campaign

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View Online Campaign Report Campaign Report The Big Story  Turmoil threatens DeSantis campaign As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) stares down a critical contest in next month's Iowa caucuses, new reports signal strains and struggles within his political machine.  © Greg Nash Over the weekend, a Washington Post report detailed a string of recent firings, exits and tumult within the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down.     Hours later, a top strategist for the super PAC resigned.     And on Monday, the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging DeSantis, his campaign and Never Back Down illegally coordinated in violation of federal campaign finance laws.     Never Back Down, an outside group that's taken on much responsibility for the DeSantis campaign, has also cycled through three CEOs in the last month, amid other reports of internal tension, frustration and legal concerns.    The latest complications for the campaign come just four weeks out from the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, which kickstart the GOP's presidential nominating process — as DeSantis looks to secure at least second place in the key early state.     DeSantis entered the presidential race last year as the candidate expected to be the top competitor to former President Trump, but his campaign has struggled to close the gap and get closer to Trump — while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has seen boosts of momentum, threatening DeSantis's second-place status.     The Hill's Julia Mueller delves into DeSantis's campaign chaos here.    Meanwhile, Haley is on the rise in New Hampshire, which is set to hold its first-in-the-nation on Jan. 23, just eight days after Iowa.     In Iowa, a recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll found DeSantis and Haley at 19 and 16 percent, respectively, well behind Trump's 51 percent.    But a new CBS News/YouGov poll in New Hampshire shows Haley getting closer to Trump in the Granite State, with Haley at 29 percent behind the former president's 44 percent.     Many in the party are pushing for the field of candidates to narrow so support can build behind a non-Trump candidate — and Haley is gunning to be that alternative.     She recently scored the coveted endorsement from popular four-term New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) — though DeSantis notably has the backing of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).     Read more about Haley's New Hampshire momentum from The Hill's Caroline Vakil.  Welcome to The Hill's Campaign Report, we're Julia Mueller and Jared Gans. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage: Haley super PAC fires back at Trump with New Hampshire ad A super PAC backing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley fired back at former President Trump in a new 30-second ad buy released in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Stand for America (SFA) released its ad attacking the former president the same day the Make American Great Again (MAGA) Inc. super PAC released its own video taking aim at Haley. The ad supporting Haley suggested that Trump is attacking the former South Carolina governor …  Full Story NAACP files lawsuit seeking to reject North Carolina state, congressional maps The NAACP’s North Carolina chapter, Common Cause and a group of Black voters are challenging the use of state and congressional lines approved by North Carolina's GOP-led Legislature earlier this fall.  The plaintiffs allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that the state House, state Senate and congressional maps approved by the state Legislature either violated provisions of the Voting Rights Act or violated the 14th …  Full Story Biden 'losing ground' every month, Democratic pollster says President Biden needs to change his campaign messaging as he is "losing ground" every month, one Democratic pollster said. Stanley Greenberg said Monday in an interview on CNN's "Inside Politics" that Biden's campaign needs to focus on telling voters how he plans to deal with rising inflation, holding large companies accountable and how they will address "profiteering" among politicians. Despite some recent positive indicators …  Full Story The Countdown  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: 27 days until the Iowa presidential caucuses  322 days until the 2024 general election  On Our Watch  Top Obama ally says third party can't win © AP The campaign manager for former President Obama's 2012 reelection victory argued in an op-ed in Politico on Monday that No Labels would only throw the election to Donald Trump if it puts forward its "unity ticket."    Jim Messina said in the post that a No Labels ticket composed of one Democrat and one Republican would not have a realistic path to victory and would spoil President Biden's reelection chances.    "The idea that a 'unity ticket' featuring a Republican and a Democrat could somehow produce a nominee with 'a clear path to victory' is worse than a political fiction," he said. "The group behind it, No Labels, is pushing a dangerous lie that would simply serve to put [former President] Trump back in the White House."    Messina noted that third-party candidates have historically not performed well in presidential elections, with 1968 being the last time that any candidate outside the two main parties won any electoral votes. He pointed to the 1992 election, in which Ross Perot once polled higher than both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton only to receive less than 20 percent of the popular vote.    Messina said the Electoral College's winner-take-all system incentivizes the two main parties to try to build large coalitions and voters to not want to waste their vote on a candidate who cannot win.    His post comes as No Labels has been considering the possibility of launching a unity ticket. Their push comes as Trump and Biden appear likely to be their parties' respective nominees and polls show many voters do not want either to run. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), specifically, has stirred speculation that he may run under the banner after deciding to not seek reelection to his Senate seat.    But the organization has sparked concerns among Democrats that it would clinch Trump's reelection. Messina mentioned that the 2016 and 2020 elections were decided by narrow margins in just a few key states and could be again in 2024.  In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds hits Trump for 'misleading' ad claiming her support Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) took aim at former President Trump for launching a "misleading" ad suggesting she supports him.  Trump's campaign released an ad earlier this month including comments from Reynolds praising the former president as being "a partner in the White House" for the Midwest. She argued the ad was misleading since she has chosen to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, not Trump, in the 2024 GOP … Full Story Dean Phillips to sit with NewsNation's Dan Abrams for hourlong interview Democratic presidential candidate and Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) will participate in a wide-ranging interview with NewsNation host Dan Abrams later this week. The network announced Tuesday that Abrams’s interview with Phillips will air Friday during the host’s 9 p.m. program, which will be entirely devoted to the Phillips sit-down that evening. “Phillips will discuss the state of his campaign, his career background, … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections: Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley battle to become sole Trump challenger (The Des Moines Register)  DeSantis says he still sees path to victory through Iowa, New Hampshire (WMUR)  What We're Reading  Election news we've flagged from other outlets: How much is Biden's support of Israel hurting him with young voters? - (The New York Times)  Senate GOP enters critical stretch for fending off bad candidates (POLITICO)  Biden said to be increasingly frustrated by dismal poll numbers (The Washington Post)  Elsewhere Today  Key stories on The Hill right now: Senate Republicans recoil at Trump 'poisoning the blood of our country' remarks Senate Republicans on Monday recoiled at former President Trump's comments at a rally in New Hampshire over the weekend, where he said the thousands of immigrants streaming into the United States on a daily basis are "poisoning the blood of our country."  They also balked at Trump quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin's criticism … Read more Elon Musk responds to John Oliver takedown Billionaire Elon Musk shot back at comedian John Oliver after he issued a scathing takedown of the entrepreneur and businessman on his HBO show over the weekend. During the more than 30-minute segment, Oliver mocked Musk over his acquisition and handling of Twitter, his embrace of antisemitic conspiracy theories and other controversies … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to campaigns and elections submitted to The Hill: Nikki Haley is ready to be president  Gerrymandering is an enemy to democracy — we need constitutional reform now  Press: Impeach me now, tell me why later    You're all caught up. See you next time!  Check out The Hill's Campaign page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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