Trump campaign hires another former DeSantis consultant to head Florida operations

Former President Trump’s campaign has hired another consultant with ties to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to head up its operations in the Sunshine State, according to media reports.

Brian Hughes, a longtime Florida political operative who worked on DeSantis’ first campaign for Congress in 2012, is the latest hire by the Trump campaign who previously worked with the Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate, according to Politico.

Hughes’ hire, which was first reported by Florida Politics, comes as Florida consultant Susie Wiles remains part of the Trump team amid his 2024 bid. Wiles was largely credited with helping Trump win the Sunshine State in both 2016 and 2020.

She also worked on DeSantis’ 2018 campaign for governor before the two had a notable falling out in 2019, Politico reported.

DeSantis, who is considered Trump’s biggest competition for the Republican presidential nomination, has struggled to gain traction in the polls against the former president. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed the Florida governor trailing Trump by 37 points among likely Republican primary voters. 

DeSantis has attempted to reset his ailing campaign in the last few weeks, most recently replacing his campaign manager Generra Peck with his gubernatorial chief of staff James Uthmeier.