Shakeup...

Bush campaign shifts resources to early states in strategy shakeup

The campaign is expected to deploy between 50 and 60 Miami-based staffers to early states.

By Alex Isenstadt

Jeb Bush's campaign is deploying nearly all of its staff in its Miami headquarters to early states, staffers were informed on a conference call Wednesday afternoon.

Top campaign officials informed employees that the deployment would be staggered throughout the month of January, one participant on the call said. The campaign is expected to deploy between 50 and 60 Miami-based staffers, with 20 going to New Hampshire and 10 or more going to Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada.

The move comes as Bush is mounting a major push in New Hampshire, which his advisers consider a must-win state. The former Florida governor, once the frontrunner of the unwieldy GOP field, is making a last-ditch effort to right a campaign that has faltered despite a hefty cash pile and an establishment pedigree.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, the Bush campaign announced that it would be canceling its TV ad reservation in Iowa and shifting the money to fund an increase of field staffers in the state. Bush has been struggling in the state, with polls showing him persistently trailing.

The funds will also be reallocated to beefing up radio buys in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

“For us, we’re making a strategic resource reallocation,” said Tim Miller, a Bush spokesman.