Republican candidates spend over $100 million on TV ads in Iowa with 13 days until caucuses as Nikki Haley accuses Ron DeSantis of being a pro-China ‘phony’
- With just 13 days until Iowa, the 2024 Republican candidates and the PACs supporting them have earmarked $3.3 million in ads through the caucuses starting January 1
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is Iowa's biggest spender overall, but in the run-up, those supporting Haley are spending the most
- DeSantis is in second place in Iowa and is banking on doing well in the state to gain momentum in the primaries
Republicans have bombarded the airwaves in Iowa with the must-win state in the party's race for the 2024 presidential nomination, spending $105 million on television and radio advertising in 2023.
In a final surge, the figure is expected to grow by another $2.5 million ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, which will deliver the first tangible results in the election after months of intense campaigning.
Meanwhile, the largest spending group backing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's campaign released a new ad calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a “fake” and slamming his reputation on China.
The 2024 Republican candidates, along with outside groups backing them, are not slowing down in pumping millions into the Midwestern state in the 13-day countdown.
With just 13 days until the Iowa caucuses, 2024 Republican candidates and the PACs backing them have set aside $3.3 million in ads ahead of the caucuses
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and the groups backing her are on track to spend the most as they try to shore up her support in Iowa ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses.
According to AdImpact, a Super PAC supporting Haley has become the top advertiser in Iowa, spending $25 million last year.
DeSantis and the groups backing his candidacy have still outpaced the rest of the field in Iowa — where the 2024 hopeful is doing most of his effort to gain momentum early in the primaries.
However, newly released data for 2023 and upcoming 2024 ads show that Haley is expected to spend the most ahead of the caucus, with SFA Fund Inc. reserves $3.3 million in television and radio ads from January 1 through January. 15.
Her campaign will spend an additional $1.3 million.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign is spending just under $1 million on Iowa and DeSantis campaign ads over the next two weeks, and the PACs backing him have allocated a combined $1.7 million.
Although Haley remains consistently in third place in Iowa behind DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, she is hoping to gain some last-minute momentum after rocketing to second place in New Hampshire polls last month.
SFA Fund, Iowa's largest backer for Haley, releases ad calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a 'phony' and attacking his record on relations with China
DeSantis is in second place in Iowa polls and is counting on him to do well in the state to gain momentum in the primaries
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign decided last month to halt television advertising spending in Iowa. He claimed there are better ways for the 38-year-old candidate to reach his younger supporters.
So far, Ramaswamy's campaign has set aside $29,100, with ads starting on Wednesday and running through the Iowa caucus on January 15. This is the first time since December 17 that the Millennial campaign has had active ads on traditional media.
Amid reports of Ramaswamy halting TV ads in the states for the first caucus and first primaries, the campaign revealed that they are 'hyper-focusing' on other avenues such as texting, calling and door-to-door canvassing .
“Our spending levels have not changed; we are just following the data,” Ramaswamy's senior advisor and communications director Tricia McLaughlin told DailyMail.com.