Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) presidential campaign team will feature a group of seasoned staffers with ties to various high-profile Republicans, including his soon-to-be biggest primary rival, former President Donald Trump.
The Florida Republican's campaign will be led by Generra Peck in the role of campaign manager, the Washington Examiner has learned. Peck served in the same position for DeSantis's 2022 landslide reelection to governor of Florida over his Democratic challenger. The victory presented a strong contrast to Republican results across the rest of the country, which saw the GOP fall short of projections.
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DeSantis has shown his ability to appeal to those who voted for Trump in past elections, and this apparently extends to his staff as well. Dustin Carmack, who served as chief of staff for the director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, will be his policy director in the campaign.
The campaign will further put to use the experience of members who are alumni of several other big-name Republicans.
DeSantis's messaging and paid media initiatives will fall under the authority of David Abrams, who once served as communications director for Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) and worked for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's 2016 White House campaign.
Notably, both Sununu and Christie are mulling over possible 2024 bids.
A former adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and previous staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) presidential bids, Jason Johnson will be a senior adviser to DeSantis.
Lauren Lifstrom also participated in Cruz's 2016 campaign effort, handling his finances. Now, she will direct finances on the Florida governor's campaign.
Florida pollster Ryan Tyson will also take on a senior advisory role. Tyson has long been apart of DeSantis's closest allies, taking on advisory and polling roles as well as keeping top donors updated.
Bryan Griffin, who served as the governor's press secretary up until last week, will be taking on the same position but on DeSantis's campaign team.
The campaign's chief technology officer, Carl Sceusa, is credited with assisting in establishing WinRed, the digital fundraising platform that has amassed more than $1 billion in donations for Republican candidates in 2020 alone.
DeSantis is expected to announce his 2024 bid for the White House on a Twitter Space with owner Elon Musk at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
The governor has been traveling to several key early primary states over the last few weeks, igniting speculation that he might run for president. However, DeSantis has remained tight-lipped about a campaign.
Support for a possible DeSantis White House bid skyrocketed after the 2022 midterm elections, in which candidates endorsed by Trump lost in key races and the predicted "red wave" did not manifest anywhere but Florida. After the election, he enjoyed the support of about one-third of potential Republican primary voters.
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However, that number has steadily dropped in the months following. Currently, 20% support DeSantis in a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary race, per Morning Consult. Trump leads the pack, with 58% supporting the former president.
Trump announced his campaign shortly after the midterm elections last year.