Republican presidential candidates and their political action committees have poured more than $105 million into Iowa advertising ahead of the state's Jan. 15 caucus.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and their PACs have accounted for a large part of the spending, as each candidate aims for a strong finish in the first-in-the-nation state of the primary season.
Haley and DeSantis are both trying to present themselves as the alternative to former President Donald Trump, the current clear front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.
GOP candidates and groups likely will spend at least another $7.5 million before Jan. 15, NBC News reported.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, though, has stopped all his TV ad spending in Iowa, CBS 2 Iowa reported.
SFA Fund Inc, a Haley super PAC, has been the top advertiser in Iowa, spending $25 million in 2023, according to AdImpact. SFA also has the most money ($3.3 million) targeted for the last two weeks before the caucus.
The former South Carolina governor's campaign is seeking a strong showing in both Iowa and New Hampshire before taking on Trump in her home state.
Haley's campaign has spent $4.6 million on ads in Iowa and has another $1.3 million reserved for the final weeks.
SFA has funded ads touting Haley as the candidate who can defeat Biden, and ones criticizing DeSantis.
The pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down spent $17.6 million on 2023 ads in Iowa before pulling its ad reservations, NBC News reported. Never Back Down decided to focus on its grassroots operation while pro-DeSantis groups try to fill the TV ad gap.
Two other pro-DeSantis super PACs, Fight Right and Good Fight, have spent a combined $1.3 million in Iowa ads reserved in January. The committees' ads have focused on DeSantis' endorsement from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, and criticizing Haley's past comments on China and labeling her "tricky Nikki."
The Florida governor's campaign spent $2.3 million on Iowa TV ads in 2023, with another $400,000-plus scheduled for the next two weeks, NBC News reported.
The pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. has spent $11.4 million in Iowa, but its last TV ad aired in early December.
The Trump campaign has spent $4.1 million on ads in Iowa.
Pro-South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott's PACs and the candidate's campaign dominated the Iowa airwaves over the summer and early fall. Scott, though, dropped out of the race in November.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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