Officials say the Republican presidential candidate’s decision to order a 40% cut to his staff payroll will help concentrate efforts on Iowa and New Hampshire

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is drastically slashing his campaign spending, including imposing an across-the-board pay cut for staff, as the one-time front-runner seeks to salvage his bid for the Republican nomination.

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The former Florida governor, and son and brother of past presidents, entered the Republican race with significant financial advantages. However, he has struggled to break through in a crowded Republican primary where voters are so far rewarding unorthodox candidates such as billionaire Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

The moves announced to staff on Friday will reduce the campaign’s payroll by 40 percent, while also cutting travel costs by 20% and eliminating extraneous overhead costs.

The changes will predominantly affect staff at Bush’s Miami campaign headquarters. Only about 25% of campaign staff will remain in Florida. Another one-fourth of the staff was already in early voting states, and the remaining Bush aides will either be offered jobs there or other posts at reduced salaries.

Bush’s campaign and a outside funding group supporting him have been spending heavily on television advertisements in early voting states, but there are few signs so far that his standing in the race is significantly improving.

His campaign fundraising slowed in recent months. He reported collecting $13.4m between July 1 and 30 September, less than Carson, who led the field with about $20m. Bush ended September with about $10m in cash.