The pro-DeSantis Super PAC Never Back Down has reportedly ceased door-knocking operations in several Super Tuesday states, as Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign fails to see any major momentum post-debate.
According to reports, door-knocking operations have ceased not only in the Super Tuesday states like California, North Carolina, and Texas, but Nevada as well.
At its peak, Never Back Down employed more than 250 field staffers in those four states, though some had departed prior to the shutdown. In recent weeks, some of those who were assigned to the areas where there are cuts were offered opportunities elsewhere, including on door-knocking teams stood up by the super PAC in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — early nominating states where the pro-DeSantis allies continue to knock doors — officials said.
This move comes over a month after the emergence of a leaked “confidential” memo obtained by NBC News, in which the campaign addressed growing concerns over DeSantis’s performance — or virtual standstill — in the polls at that point in time. In that memo, the campaign outlined its strategy of essentially shelving Super Tuesday states and instead focusing efforts on Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire.
The memo stated in part:
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. From what we can tell, pro-DeSantis efforts are currently and will continue to run a robust effort in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, that includes paid media and field.
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.
Never Back Down spokesperson Erin Perrine made a similar point to NBC News.
“We want to reinvest in the first three,” Perrine said of the early states. “We see real opportunities in the first three. The first three are going to set the conditions for the March states.”
The end of these efforts follows a lackluster summer of campaigning for the presidential hopeful, who revamped his campaign in July, laying off dozens of staffers and replacing his campaign manager as his steep decline in the polls accelerated.
Even post-debate, DeSantis has failed to make positive strides in the polls, as he still follows former President Donald Trump by double digits. The Morning Consult poll published Tuesday found 58 percent of potential Republican primary voters supporting Trump, placing him 44 percentage points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 14 percent.
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DeSantis’s early state efforts have also failed to materialize in the polls. An Echelon Insights survey, for example, found DeSantis falling to fourth place in New Hampshire.
Notably, DeSantis ceased campaigning out of state this week to help his state in its response to Hurricane Idalia.