A leaked audio clip from the secret DeSantis donor strategy meeting held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami on Thursday has surfaced, shedding light on key aspects of Governor Ron DeSantis’s campaign plans.
In the leaked audio obtained by Florida Politics, pollster Ryan Tyson can be heard addressing the donors, expressing enthusiasm about the level of recognition Governor DeSantis enjoys on a national scale.
Tyson’s remarks highlight the campaign’s satisfaction with DeSantis’s growing prominence and the positive impact it has had on his candidacy. He argued that DeSantis standing against former President Donald Trump will only improve over time.
“He’s known by as many Primary voters as the President is and he’s better liked,” Tyson said. “That’s the first problem that Donald Trump, I feel like, has in these Primaries. His negatives are too high. And I will also say this. The No. 1 most effective and efficient driver of Donald Trump’s negatives is Donald Trump.”
The audio clip reveals that Governor DeSantis stands firmly in favor of maintaining abortion decisions at the state level.
This position is in line with conservative principles and reflects the sentiments shared by many Republicans across the nation. However, the recordings reveal a twist in DeSantis’s approach, indicating a potential shift toward the ‘middle’ during the general election.
During the donor meeting, strategists conveyed DeSantis’s intention to pivot his campaign strategy toward the ‘middle’ ground as the election progresses. The Governor’s advisors recognize the importance of appealing to a broader electorate and believe that adopting a more moderate tone could help solidify his chances of securing victory in a general election.
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Leaked audio has emerged from the DeSantis donor strategy meeting in Miami on Thursday. In the clip you can hear below, DeSantis strategists tell high dollar donors making calls for the campaign that:
- DeSantis’s position is keeping abortion decisions at a state level (following Trump’s position);
- That the Governor will shift to the middle during a general election;
- The campaign’s position on abortion can be described as “safe, legal, and rare in Florida” – a stunning deployment of President Bill Clinton’s infamous pro-abortion catchphrase.
During the session, the hosts – including DeSantis pollster Ryan Tyson amongst others – can be heard lauding this a “major step forward for the Republican Party in moving to the middle [on abortion].”
There are a number of times throughout the leaked audio that DeSantis’s strategist can be heard telling wealthy donors: “You have to win a primary before you win a general,” – which is political campaign speak for “we’ll move to the middle after we win the nomination.”
You can listen to the full recording below. The abortion topic starts at 27 minutes to 39 minutes.