Leaked Memo From DeSantis Campaign Outlines New Strategy as Governor Falters in Race Against Trump

A leaked memo is signaling that Governor DeSantis’s campaign is about to do a U-turn on its press relations strategy, marking an acknowledgement that the current effort isn’t working.In a memo obtained by NBC News, DeSantis campaign officials write, “More earned media will result in increased standing on the ballot,” and they plan to “aggressively pursue this formula in the next eight weeks.”“The earned media is the cake,” the memo reads. “The paid media (early states and national conservative cable) is the icing and keeps the messaging points from the earned media hits in the voter’s face.”The pursuit of earned media, which refers to publicity that is not paid for, marks a divergence from Mr. DeSantis’s strategy thus far.The governor and his campaign have developed a reputation for hostility toward members of the press, especially those who are not reporting on behalf of conservative outlets.In an interview on June 12 with a conservative radio host, Hugh Hewitt, Mr. DeSantis typified his approach to handling the press, saying, “Not only are they not telling the truth … they’re actively suppressing the truth.”The purpose of reorienting Mr. DeSantis’s approach to the press, according to the memo, is to boost the governor’s poll numbers, which have been mostly stagnant since he entered the race.Mr. DeSantis trails President Trump 21 percent to 50 percent, according to the FiveThirtyEight average of polls. At the end of May, when Mr. DeSantis announced his candidacy, he trailed Mr. Trump 21 percent to 54 percent.Aside from their new approach to the press, the memo details the supreme importance that the campaign is placing on the New Hampshire primary.In bold lettering, the memo says, “we will not cede New Hampshire,” in a section discussing “WHERE WE PLAN TO COMPETE.” The campaign is also focusing its advertising dollars and on-the-ground efforts on Iowa and South Carolina.In terms of Mr. DeSantis’s competition against Mr. Trump, the memo claims that, “for two-thirds of the likely Republican primary electorate,” Messrs. DeSantis and Trump “remain the only viable options.”“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,” the memo reads. “We expect Tim Scott to receive appropriate scrutiny in the weeks ahead.”This assessment from the campaign comes as Mr. Scott is enjoying a bit of time in the sun, releasing a new ad targeting evangelical voters in Iowa and garnering the attention of some major Republican donors.Although the memo does not lay out a concrete strategy to steer voters away from Mr. Trump and toward Mr. DeSantis, it does claim that at this point, “Early state voters are only softly committed to the candidates they selected on a ballot question this far out — including Trump supporters.”“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,” the memo reads. “While we know Trump’s floor ~25 percent that leaves three fourths of the electorate willing to consider other viable options.”

Leaked Memo From DeSantis Campaign Outlines New Strategy as Governor Falters in Race Against Trump

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