DeSantis sends memo to reassure donors as campaign lags

A confidential DeSantis campaign memo last week attempted to reassure supporters over concerns that the campaign is losing steam.

“Early state voters are only softly committed to the candidates they select on a ballot question this far out — including many Trump supporters,” the document, obtained by NBC News, reads.

“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.”

DeSantis has taken on criticism in recent weeks that his campaign has not met the high expectations that surrounded it after the 2022 midterm elections. A DeSantis PAC spokesman said earlier this month that the campaign is “way behind.”

The memo states that the DeSantis campaign will focus only on early-voting states and not yet make investments into Super Tuesday 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,” the memo reads. “While Super Tuesday is critically important, we will not dedicate resources to Super Tuesday that slow our momentum in New Hampshire. We expect to revisit this investment in the fall.”

It also takes shots at primary opponent Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who has taken donors away from DeSantis according to reports from Politico.

“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. We expect Tim Scott to receive appropriate scrutiny in the weeks ahead,” the memo reads.

DeSantis is far behind former President Trump in primary polling. In DeSantis’s home state of Florida, a poll this week found that DeSantis trails Trump by 20 points.

He has blamed the media for the increasing pressure on his campaign.

“The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think that’s very, very clear. Why? Because they know I will beat Biden. But, even more importantly, they know I will actually deliver on all these things,” DeSantis said in a Fox News interview last week.