Topline
A super PAC aligned with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has spent millions on ads in Iowa attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the past two months, but nothing on ads against former President Donald Trump—as his commanding polling lead has turned the GOP primary race into a fight for second place.
Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley attends the Thanksgiving Family … [+]
Key Facts
The Haley-aligned SFA Fund Inc. super PAC, named after the Stand For America nonprofit she founded to further her political platform, has spent $3.6 million on ads attacking DeSantis this election cycle, mostly in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, according to campaign finance expert Rob Pyers.
The super PAC also spent $25,000 on ads attacking President Joe Biden, but nothing on anti-Trump ads as of November 24.
Super PACs are prohibited from donating directly to candidates under federal election rules but essentially operate as extensions of their campaigns and are allowed to receive unlimited contributions from donors.
The spending comes as Haley has made inroads on DeSantis’ second-place position behind Trump, as an October Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom survey showed DeSantis and Haley tied in Iowa in a hypothetical GOP primary matchup, each with 16%, a 3-point decline for DeSantis since the groups’ August poll and a 10-point jump for Haley, who is also leading DeSantis by double-digit margins in New Hampshire.
Haley is the only GOP candidate who would beat Biden in New Hampshire, according to a November Emerson college poll.
What To Watch For
Haley’s campaign announced plans to spend an additional $10 million on TV, radio and digital ads in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month. DeSantis’ campaign also plans to spend $2 million in TV ads in Iowa.
What To Watch For
Billionaire Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, worth $7.2 billion, according to Forbes valuation, is considering financially backing Haley and plans to meet with her in New York next week, CNBC reported. Langone joins a growing list of GOP mega donors, including hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who backed away from their previous plans to support DeSantis after his campaign failed to gain traction. Langone told CNBC on Monday he believes Haley is “the only person I see who can give Trump a run for his money,” while criticizing DeSantis’ support for a six-week abortion ban in Florida.
Tangent
DeSantis and his allies have poured significant resources into Iowa, where he earned the endorsement of the state’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, this month, along with prominent evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats. He has visited 98 of the 99 counties (he’s scheduled to check off the last one later this week), and the DeSantis-aligned super PAC, Never Back Down, has supported an extensive door knocking campaign in the state.
SUrprising Fact
DeSantis’ allies launched a new super PAC, Far Right Inc., last week and is waging a last-ditch TV ad campaign to attack his allies before the primaries kick off Jan. 15 in Iowa. Far Right’s inception comes as Never Back Down has reportedly clashed with DeSantis’ campaign and its chief executive resigned in recent weeks.
Big Number
10%. That’s Haley’s average support in GOP primary polls, according to FiveThirtyEight. Trump leads with 60%, followed by DeSantis with 12%. Haley’s support has grown from 6% two months ago, while DeSantis has lost a point.
KEy Background
The GOP primary race has become somewhat of a side-show as Trump has maintained a significant polling lead that would defy historical precedent if he were to lose the nomination. Trump sat out the first three GOP primary debates and plans to skip the rest. Meanwhile, his competitors have been winnowed to four candidates who meet the donation and polling threshold to qualify for debates: Haley, DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump has coined unflattering nicknames for both Haley (“bird brain”) and DeSantis (“DeSanctimonious”) and has accused both of them of disloyalty to him. While Haley seldom mentions Trump, DeSantis has ramped up his attacks on his former ally in recent months, suggesting he is too old to serve as president and blaming him for GOP election losses.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/27/haley-campaign-pours-money-into-ads-attacking-desantis-but-still-wont-bash-trump/