Iowa Republicans will see millions of dollars in ads supporting Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis after their camps made some of their most significant ad buys in the Hawkeye State to date.
(Bloomberg) — Iowa Republicans will see millions of dollars in ads supporting Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis after their camps made some of their most significant ad buys in the Hawkeye State to date.
A super political action committee supporting Haley disclosed about $6.6 million in spending in Iowa and New Hampshire on Thursday, its largest advertising purchase yet. DeSantis’s campaign also said it is planning to make a $2 million advertising push in Iowa, of which some $1.3 million of time has already been reserved, according to tracking firm AdImpact.
The surge in spending comes as Haley, fueled by momentum from two strong debate performances, is seeking to overtake DeSantis in the polls. The Florida governor has been in second place behind Donald Trump for months, but has failed to make any gains on the former president.
Trump leads the crowded field in Iowa with 50.3% of the vote, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. DeSantis is polling at 17.3%, ahead of Haley’s 9.5%.
DeSantis’s $2 million advertising buy represents 40% of money his campaign had on hand at the end of September. A campaign official said the governor raised an additional $1 million since then.Â
The DeSantis advertisements are scheduled to start airing in mid-November, but the campaign can reserve the space without paying, allowing it to cancel the ads without risk.
NBC News was first to report DeSantis’s ad buy.
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