| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout and Kimberly Leonard | Hello and welcome to Wednesday. Even flow — The presidential aspirations of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the day-to-day of how things work in Tallahassee have collided in spectacular fashion. Go — Generra Peck, who successfully guided DeSantis’ reelection, was bumped from her position as campaign manager and replaced with ... James Uthmeier, who has been the governor’s chief of staff since 2021. The move, first reported by The Messenger’s Marc Caputo, and confirmed by the campaign and sources near the campaign reverberated through this town. Given to fly — On a national level the move was seen as yet another effort by DeSantis to revamp a campaign that has failed to gain any altitude even as former President Donald Trump’s legal woes grow ever larger — and current President Joe Biden’s numbers look underwhelming. The Fixer — One source familiar with the moves described the ascension of Uthmeier as bringing in someone who had the trust of DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis, and could correct “managerial angst” that had been part of the operation. It was stressed that Uthmeier — who did a review of campaign operations ahead of the change — isn’t coming in alone. He was getting help to run the campaign, including bringing on board a top campaign consultant who had been with Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis. Release — Yet still… Uthmeier is a not a political operative, but a lawyer whose job has been to muscle through the governor’s agenda. He has had a firm hand in operations such as the migrant flights from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. The governor’s office said he isn’t leaving for good, but instead is just taking a leave of absence. In his place, Alex Kelly, the current secretary of the Department of Commerce and former deputy chief, will be in charge at the plaza level of the Capitol. Rearviewmirror — For some outsiders this is all bewildering. How will top-flight donors — who were eager for changes and unsure about Peck’s management — react to a relatively inexperienced insider take over the campaign? Black — Then there’s the Tallahassee angle that plenty of folks were texting back and forth about on Tuesday. DeSantis is already spending considerable time outside the state … How will this affect the rhythm of operations back home …. Who’s in charge? Looking down the line the timeline for campaigning was already set to conflict with governing. The 2024 session (and when DeSantis is supposed to give his state-of-the-state speech) is just SIX days before the Iowa caucuses.) Alive — Let’s make it clear: There’s still hope inside DeSantis world even if apparently there was concern about the campaign’s management. They know Trump will get another burst of publicity and support if there’s a fourth indictment unfurled next week in Georgia. But there’s still months to go until Iowa… a win there and some top finishes in other states will make it clear that this remains a two-person race… and then? Either DeSantis emerges or the campaign runs out of money and it’s back to Tallahassee for good. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to appear this morning on "America’s Newsroom" on Fox News. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
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GETTING YOUNGER CANDIDATES ELECTED — Florida Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost made history last year when he became the first member of Generation Z to get elected to Congress. Now two people involved with Frost’s successful campaign want to take the next step and create an organization specifically designed to help young people get elected to state legislatures and Congress.
David Hogg, a gun safety advocate and co-founder of March for Our Lives in the aftermath of the Parkland massacre, is joining with Kevin Lata, who was Frost’s campaign manager, to create a new grassroots group called Leaders We Deserve. Hogg got to know Lata when he helped raise money for Frost. “I never had supported a candidate very intensely before and I had been waiting for the right time to do it because frankly I just don’t trust politicians,” Hogg told Playbook. Hogg said the idea behind the new organization he’s starting with Lata is to “reverse engineer” what Republicans have done especially in state houses across the country, which is where he says some of the most damaging policies have been put in place. The group’s aim is to become like an Emily’s List for Gen Z and millennial candidates and provide funding and guidance. Lata said everything from fundraising to gaining important endorsements is taken for granted but that many first-time candidates are “unsure how to do it.” Hogg said that the some of the states the group plans to target include Florida, Texas and Georgia. The organization hopes to assist anywhere from 15-30 legislative candidates and a couple of congressional candidates and they plan to “invest in open seat Blue primaries.” He said he’s not expecting to end GOP control in those states right away, but instead the idea is to invest now so that there’s a “good chance” the states could flip in the next decades. Hogg added that “we are not challenging incumbent Democrats” and this isn’t about being against “older politicians.” Instead Hogg pointed out that President Joe Biden himself first got elected to the U.S. Senate when he was just 29 years old and that he hopes that younger candidates can gain the same type of experience that helped Biden make it to the White House. | | 
March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg speaks during a news conference to call for gun reform, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. | Al Goldis/AP Photo | MARK THE CALENDAR — The Republican Party of Florida announced this week that its big annual fundraising event, the Statesman’s Dinner, will be held on Sept. 14 at Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. Sen. Rick Scott will be one of the guest speakers but Christian Ziegler, the party chair, said in an email announcing ticket sales that there will be an “amazing line-up of speakers and guests” that will announced later. — “FL has three GOP presidential candidates, but will all of them be on the debate stage this month?” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry — “Super PAC backing Francis Suarez complains he’s being excluded from polls,” by Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner
| | DESANTISLAND | |
‘SEEING A LOT OF US’ — “DeSantis targets foes with unconventional trio: His children,” by The Washington Post’s Hannah Knowles: “While many candidates rely on their loved ones to help humanize them on the trail, DeSantis, 44, stands out for his decision to meld family and politics. Campaign aides view his identity as a father of young kids as a helpful contrast with both Biden and Trump, who are decades older, according to a person familiar with the campaign’s strategy who spoke on the condition of the anonymity to discuss internal thinking. ‘We haven’t really seen that where they’re also used in punchlines against opponents,’ said Doug Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee. ‘But he gets good laughs from them.’”
— “Is the Ron DeSantis slide reversible?” by The Washington Post’s Philip Bump — “DeSantis acknowledges Trump’s 2020 defeat, but stands by election security concerns,” by Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood — “High dollar Wichita donors attend fundraiser, back DeSantis in his attempt to top Trump,” by Wichita Eagle’s Chance Swaim and Matthew Kelly | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | |
BEHIND THE CURTAIN — “Secret memo laid out strategy for Trump to overturn Biden’s win,” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Luke Broadwater: “A lawyer allied with President Donald J. Trump first laid out a plot to use false slates of electors to subvert the 2020 election in a previously unknown internal campaign memo that prosecutors are portraying as a crucial link in how the Trump team’s efforts evolved into a criminal conspiracy. The existence of the Dec. 6, 2020, memo came to light in last week’s indictment of Mr. Trump, though its details remained unclear. But a copy obtained by The New York Times shows for the first time that the lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, acknowledged from the start that he was proposing ‘a bold, controversial strategy’ that the Supreme Court ‘likely’ would reject in the end.”
FOLLOW THE MONEY — Special counsel still scrutinizing finances of Trump’s PAC, by POLITICO’s Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney: Special counsel Jack Smith’s probe of efforts by Donald Trump and others to subvert the 2020 election remains ongoing — with at least one interview this week that focused on fundraising and spending by Trump’s political action committee. … In a closed-door interview on Monday with Bernard Kerik, investigators asked multiple questions about the Save America PAC’s enormous fundraising haul in the weeks between Election Day and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to Kerik’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who was present for the interview and shared details with POLITICO. — Trump, Christie feast on insults in New Hampshire, by POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky — “Trump vows to keep talking about criminal cases despite prosecutors pushing for protective order,” by Associated Press’ Michelle L. Price and Holly Ramer — “Trump asks to extend deadline for Jan. 6 election interference trial,” by The Washington Post’s Spencer S. Hsu — “Georgia grand jury likely to hear Trump case next week,” by The New York Times’ Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset | | DATELINE D.C. | |
WELL NOW — “Rick Scott appears to fall for Babylon Bee story about Chinese soldiers ‘screaming pronouns’ preparing for war with U.S.,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski
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HMM — “Rep. Amesty leaves a trail of falsehoods, unpaid taxes and bills, records show,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal and Annie Martin: “Rep. Carolina Amesty, who touted her success as a business owner and educator in her campaign for the Florida House last year, filed false information with the state about her family’s small Christian university, claimed to run a thriving restaurant that actually was closed and failed to ensure taxes were paid on the $1.3 million home she lived in, an Orlando Sentinel investigation found.”
And more …. “Public records raise questions about how she could afford a six-figure loan to her campaign, an amount nearly double what she claimed to earn for that year, or how the university could afford a home on the 17th hole in Keene’s Pointe for Amesty and her parents. DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH, METHINKS — “Shakespeare belongs in classrooms, Florida says, knocking Hillsborough," by Tampa Bay Times' Jeffrey S. Solochek: “Plans in Hillsborough County schools to reduce the works of William Shakespeare to excerpts were met with derision by state education officials on Tuesday. ‘The Florida Department of Education in no way believes Shakespeare should be removed from Florida classrooms,’ department spokesperson Cassie Palelis told the Tampa Bay Times via email. ‘In fact, eight works by Shakespeare are included in the sample text list within the (state) Standards for English Language Arts, including ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet.’” REJECTED — “Judge denies request to block Florida law making it a crime to drive people in the US illegally,” by Associated Press’ Mike Schneider: “Civil rights groups asked a federal judge Tuesday to stop Florida officials from enforcing a section of a new state immigration law that criminalizes transporting someone who has entered the United States unlawfully. But the jurist denied the request immediately on a technicality. The portion of the law known as Section 10 makes it unsafe for people to get to medical appointments, meet with family and go to work, the groups said in a motion that is part of a July lawsuit challenging the law.” MEANWHILE — “A month after new Florida immigration laws took effect, advocates report rising in fear, confusion,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Natalia Jaramillo — “A new toll road is eyed for northwest Florida,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Turner | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — “Tampa’s mayor big catch on Keys fishing trip? 70 pounds of cocaine,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Olivia George: “There was something in the water, black and bobbing. The package adrift in the Atlantic caught the eye of a family enjoying a day of mahi-mahi fishing off the Florida Keys on a Sunday in late July. ‘Hey, look at that,’ said Kelly Castor, a 61-year-old boating enthusiast. ‘Cocaine,’ replied his older sister, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, as the package came closer, speaking with the assurance of someone who spent three decades in the Tampa Police Department, including about eight years in narcotics and six as police chief.” BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Keith Truenow … Emmett Reed, CEO of Florida Health Care Association ... Mark Harper with the Daytona Beach News-Journal ... former state Rep. Sandy Murman. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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