Gretchen Whitmer’s Struggling MI GOV Campaign Suffers Another Staff Shakeup

In Michigan, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign has suffered another setback and staff-shakeup after new reports surfaced that her campaign manager has quit on her. To make matters worse, Whitmer has brought on the campaign manager of Jon Ossoff’s failed congressional campaign in Georgia, who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District Special Election in June, despite large amounts of money and national media attention.

This is just the latest setback for Michigan Democrats, after they struggled to recruit a stronger candidate than Whitmer, who many Democrats in the state have panned as weak and unelectable, and refusals to run by top gubernatorial recruits Dan Kildee and Mark Bernstein. Coupled with the many woes from the state party, including a record fine for running a bingo fundraising scheme, Michigan Dems appear to be stuck with Whitmer and poised for a rough 2018.

The Detroit News reports:

“Democratic gubernatorial front-runner Gretchen Whitmer has replaced her campaign manager, the latest shake-up for the former state Senate minority leader working to solidify support ahead of the 2018 primary.

Michigan native Keenan Pontoni is coming home to work for Whitmer, her campaign said Tuesday. He’ll replace Jerid Kurtz, who had worked on various campaigns in other states before joining Whitmer in April.

Pontoni made national news earlier this year when he ran the campaign of Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff, who narrowly lost a special election in a congressional district Republicans have controlled since 1979.

Circumstances of Kurtz’s departure aren’t immediately clear.

Republicans were quick to criticize the move. GOP strategist Stu Sandler noted Pontoni lost the Ossoff campaign despite spending an ‘ungodly amount of money’ and suggested the change is a sign of trouble for Whitmer.

Ossoff raised $30 million to Republican Karen Handel’s $6.6 million, according to Federal Elections Commission records.

‘She can change up her staff, but I think a lot of it has to do with her,’ Sandler said. ‘She’s supported a lot of policies in the past that didn’t work in Michigan, and I think she’s failing to catch fire.”