Allied with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Haley’s campaign has spent millions of dollars on ads in Iowa over the past two months attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but has not launched any ads against former President Donald Trump – as his lead in the polls has made the Republican nomination race a battle for second place.
Key Facts
The Haley-aligned super PAC known as SFA Fund Inc., which follows the Stand For America organization she founded to promote her political platform, has spent $3.6 million on ads attacking DeSantis in the current election cycle, primarily in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, according to campaign finance expert Rob Pyers.
The super PAC has also spent $25,000 on ads attacking President Joe Biden, but has not launched any ads against Trump as of November 24.
Super PACs are prohibited from donating directly to candidates under federal election rules, but they essentially serve as an extension of their campaigns and are allowed to accept unlimited contributions from donors.
What to Watch For
Haley’s campaign announced plans to spend an additional $10 million on television, radio, and digital ads in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month. DeSantis’ campaign also plans to spend $2 million on television ads in Iowa.
Billionaire Ken Langone, founder of Home Depot, who has a net worth of $7.2 billion according to Forbes estimates, is considering financially supporting Haley and plans to meet with her in New York next week, according to a CNBC report. Langone joins a growing list of major Republican donors, including hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who has walked away from previous plans to support DeSantis after his campaign failed to gain traction. Langone told CNBC on Monday that he believes Haley is “the only person I see who can give Trump a real competition,” objecting to DeSantis’ support for a six-week abortion ban in Florida.
Surprising Fact
DeSantis’ allies launched a new super PAC named Far Right Inc. last week, launching a last-minute television ad campaign attacking his rivals ahead of the Iowa caucuses on January 15. The establishment of Far Right comes amid reports of clashes between DeSantis’ campaign and the super PAC Never Back Down, with the executive director of the PAC resigning in recent weeks.
The Big Number
10%. This is Haley’s average support in polls for the Republican primary, according to FiveThirtyEight. Trump leads with 60%, followed by DeSantis at 12%. Haley’s support has grown from 6% two months ago, while DeSantis lost one point.
Main Background
The Republican nomination race has become sidelined as Trump maintains his large lead in the polls, which would challenge historical precedent if he loses the nomination. Trump has skipped the first three Republican primary debates and intends to skip the rest. Meanwhile, competitors have been narrowed down to four candidates who meet the minimum fundraising and polling thresholds to qualify for the debates: Haley, DeSantis, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump has coined derogatory nicknames for both Haley (“bird brain”) and DeSantis (“DeSanctimonious”) and accused both of disloyalty to him. While Haley rarely mentions Trump, DeSantis has ramped up his attacks on his former ally in recent months, suggesting he is too old to be president and accusing him of losing the Republican election.
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