10 months ago
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — James Uthmeier, who worked as campaign manager for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unsuccessful bid for president for the last several months, will step back into his role as chief of staff next week.
Uthmeier — who has been one of the Republican governor’s most trusted aides — confirmed that he will resume the job he held from October 2021 until August when he moved into the campaign manager role as part of a shakeup.
He said that he will rejoin the governor’s administration on Monday to help DeSantis prepare for the “long haul.” DeSantis still has nearly three years left in his term and has repeatedly said he would rather be governor then take a vice presidential slot.
Uthmeier added that additional changes and staff moves are expected to be announced “in the near future.”
Uthmeier’s return to his position is not unexpected. Last August, it was announced he was taking an unpaid leave of absence from his job and that he had not permanently resigned. Alex Kelly, who is the secretary of the Department of Commerce, was acting chief of staff while Uthmeier worked for the campaign.
DeSantis suspended his campaign for president on Sunday, just two days before the New Hampshire primary and less than a week after he finished a distant second in the Iowa caucuses. He quickly endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Uthmeier, who worked as general counsel for DeSantis prior to becoming chief of staff, has been deeply involved in some of the governor’s most high profile initiatives, including the controversial program to transport migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. Uthmeier once worked as a senior adviser to former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
He stepped into the role of campaign manager during a major reshuffling of DeSantis’ campaign last summer that also resulted in a decision to replace then-campaign manager Generra Peck. Uthmeier conducted a review of campaign operations for DeSantis before the move was made.
Over the past year, many DeSantis insiders — including the governor’s legislative affairs director and communications director — made the move to either his presidential campaign or the super PAC Never Back Down. Several aides for DeSantis’ re-election campaign also shifted to his presidential bid.
It’s not clear if some of those former top aides will rejoin the administration in Tallahassee or will instead move on to other jobs in the private sector.
English (US)