Most of the senior staff on John McCain’s presidential campaign quit or were fired Wednesday amid signs that the once-soaring Republican’s candidacy was in a political free fall.
Trailing in the polls and in fundraising, McCain acknowledged his White House bid faced a “challenging political environment.” He said he accepted with “regret” the resignations of campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver.
Also out were deputy campaign manager Reed Galen and political director Rob Jesmer, according to campaign officials.
It was the second major shake-up of the McCain campaign in the space of eight days. On July 2, the cash-strapped candidate fired some staffers and asked others, including Nelson, to work for free for two months.
McCain raised $25 million in the first half of the year — half his goal and less than GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. He also has dropped 10 points in national polls over the last five months.
During that period, McCain went from a second-place candidate trailing Giuliani by five points to a third-place candidate trailing him by 10. McCain is now outpolled by former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who has not yet announced his candidacy.
McCain has been badly hurt among conservatives by his support for a failed immigration bill that would have granted legal status to illegal immigrants. He also is at odds with the Republican base over numerous other issues, including taxes, campaign finance regulations and his close relationship with the mainstream media.
His reeling campaign will be run for now by Rick Davis, a longtime aide.
Staffers from rival Republican campaigns expressed astonishment at the severity of McCain’s troubles but declined to comment for the record.
Nelson and Weaver released short statements praising McCain without explaining their departures.
“I believe John McCain is the most experienced and prepared candidate to represent the Republican Party and defeat the Democratic nominee next year,” Nelson said.
Weaver added, “There is only one person equipped to serve as our nation’s chief executive and deal with the challenges we face, and that person is John McCain.”
