Republican presidential candidates and outside groups have blanketed the Iowa airwaves ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, spending nearly $105 million on ads there in 2023.
And that figure is set to grow by at least another $7.5 million before the Jan. 15 caucuses, according to upcoming ad reservations tracked by the firm AdImpact. It’s being driven by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s late push for a strong finish in Iowa, after former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spent most of 2023 polling first and second there.
While Trump has held consistent leads over the rest of the Republican field in recent Iowa polling, recent shifts in ad spending in the state also reflect broader shifts in the GOP race.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s campaign and an aligned outside group dominated the Iowa airwaves over the summer and early fall. But after Scott dropped out of the race in November, ad spending to boost Haley jumped, along with spending to support Trump and DeSantis.
SFA Fund Inc, a super PAC supporting Haley, has emerged as the top advertiser in Iowa, spending $25 million in 2023, per AdImpact. The super PAC also has the most ad money laid down for the last two weeks: nearly $3.3 million. Haley’s campaign is looking for a strong showing in Iowa, followed by at least a solid second-place finish in New Hampshire, betting the field could winnow after the first two contests and leave Haley to take on Trump in her home state of South Carolina.
Haley and her allies are focusing on electability in some of their closing arguments in Iowa, and there will likely be more new ads to come in the final two weeks before the caucuses.
Haley’s campaign, which has spent $4.6 million on ads there and has another $1.3 mil
