Jeb Bush takes drastic action in bid to resuscitate flatlining campaign for Republican nomination for presidency

Jeb Bush shrank the size of his Miami presidential campaign operations on Friday and cut staff salaries across the board in the most serious acknowledgment yet that his campaign needs a new direction as the one-time front runner has failed to get traction in the race.

His Miami field office, recently inaugurated in Coral Gables, will remain open. It’s run by a single paid employee now and serves mostly as a hub for volunteers. Bush’s headquarters will downsize to a skeleton crew.

Only a quarter of Bush’s staff will remain in Miami, according to an internal campaign memo. Another 25 per cent is already working in early caucus and primary states; most of the remaining people on the payroll will be offered positions in those states or elsewhere in operations, but with pay cuts, says the memo, which was first reported by Bloomberg Politics. Campaign manager Danny Diaz and senior adviser Sally Bradshaw met with employees Friday and informed donors in a conference call.

All but the lowest-paid staff will also get a pay cut, in an effort to reduce overall payroll costs by 40 per cent, and travel costs will be slashed by 20 per cent. The budget for everything unrelated to advertising or reaching out to voters will get cut 45 per cent. The campaign didn’t release exact numbers, but finance reports show it has between 100 and 150 people on the payroll (some are consultants).

“We are making changes today to ensure Jeb is best positioned to win the nomination and general election,” campaign spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said. “Jeb is the one candidate with a proven conservative record, bold ideas and the strong leadership needed to fix the problems America faces. 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.”