Trump taps ex-DeSantis consultant to lead Florida campaign: report

Brian Hughes, a former political consultant for Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, has confirmed that he will lead ex-President Donald Trump's campaign efforts in Florida, Politico reports.

Per Politico, Hughes is "a longtime Florida political operative who recently worked for Jacksonville’s Republican mayor" and serves as "one of the political consultants who helped with DeSantis' initial campaign for Congress back in 2012 but did not work with him on any subsequent campaigns."

According to the report, Hughes is not the former president's first hire who formerly worked for his 2024 GOP rival.

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"One of Trump's top advisers, Susie Wiles," Politico reports, was hired by the governor "in 2018 after she helped Trump win the state in 2016 and lead Rick Scott's first successful campaign for governor."

Hughes' hire comes days after The Messenger reported "In his third staff shakeup in less than a month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis replaced his embattled presidential campaign manager with one of his most trusted, and most conservative, advisers: his gubernatorial office's chief of staff, James Uthmeier."

Politico notes "Florida's Republican presidential primary is scheduled for March 19, a date that puts it behind the early states and Super Tuesday. But it is also a winner-take-all primary that could give the winning candidate a decisive edge in capturing the nomination."

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Politico's full report is available at this link.