A leaked internal memo for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign looks to quiet concerns over his 2024 bid as he faces questions about his performance in national polls, according to NBC News.
The “family and friends update,” labeled “confidential” and “not for distribution,” declares that the ballot is “very fluid” for the governor as he sets his sights on the primaries next year.
“Early state voters are only softly committed to the candidates they select on a ballot question this far out — including many Trump supporters,” reads the memo, dated July 6. “Our focus group participants in the early states even say they don’t plan on making up their mind until they meet the candidates or watch them debate.”
It adds that former President Donald Trump and DeSantis “remain the only viable options” for a majority of the primary electorate and particularly takes aim at Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
“While Tim Scott has earned a serious look at this stage, his bio is lacking the fight that our electorate is looking for in the next President,” reads the memo, which refers to “low to no interest” in several other candidates.
The memo surfaced following a number of media appearances by the governor where he blamed his lagging national poll performance behind Trump on the media, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and “narratives.”
Trump leads DeSantis by an average of over 28% across national polls, according to FiveThirtyEight.
DeSantis’ campaign, later in the memo, says it will make the “contrast” between President Joe Biden and the governor “clear,” before criticizing Trump and his family.
“While Trump is always the most efficient driver of his own negatives, there are numerous other persuasion narratives that can and should be exploited on him,” the memo reads. “Soft Trump voters and America First conservatives do not look kindly on Trump’s record on guns, the deficit and spending, Transgenderism, and his family’s his cozy relationship with the Saudi Royal Family.”
The campaign outlines elsewhere how it plans to compete in early-voting states.
“Ron DeSantis is running a campaign to win everywhere. It would be a mistake to take a paid media and field program off the table in service of other states, we will not cede New Hampshire,” reads the document, which praises a “robust” pro-DeSantis effort in the early states.
“While Super Tuesday is critically important, we will not dedicate resources to Super Tuesday that slow our momentum in New Hampshire,” the memo says. “We expect to revisit this investment in the Fall.”