DeSantis hits Iowa airwaves early as he looks to fend off Nikki Haley’s rise

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) campaign began running its first Iowa television ad Wednesday, weeks before its planned launch in mid-November. The campaign credited the pace of its fundraising in the fourth quarter with the change of plans.

A 30-second ad, “Fight. Win. Lead,” will run on broadcast and cable television airwaves throughout Iowa contrasting his record as Florida governor with that of President Joe Biden.

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DeSantis’s campaign, which recently deployed an Iowa-centered strategy for the remainder of the time until the caucuses in January, had planned to begin running ads in mid-November, with $2 million in reserved airtime through the caucuses on Jan. 15. However, it made an impromptu $320,000 purchase for the Nov. 1 ad following a “strong fundraising pace.”

“America needs a fighter who will take on the establishment class in Washington — both Republicans and Democrats — to lead and deliver results while others fail,” campaign manager James Uthmeier said in a statement. “No leader in the country has a stronger record of securing victories for the conservative movement than Ron DeSantis. From sending planes to Israel to bring Americans home to safety, to rebuilding bridges in the days following a hurricane, there is no better leader in a time of crisis. Ron DeSantis will fight for the American people, win, and lead our great comeback.”

The surprise Iowa ad comes as DeSantis looks to stave off former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s rise in several key 2024 primary polls. One concerning metric, in particular, is a new poll out of Iowa, showing Haley and DeSantis tied for second behind former President Donald Trump.

Haley also demonstrated momentum in the “footprint” metric, showing a significantly larger amount of caucusgoers now considering her in some capacity.

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The former South Carolina governor has been spending time in several states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, while DeSantis has shifted his focus solely to Iowa. The recent poll’s results are even more of a threat to DeSantis, given this move.

Haley and DeSantis have engaged in a mudslinging battle in recent weeks via their campaigns and associated super PACs as donors and voters look for a sole candidate to coalesce around. Haley hasn’t been able to surpass DeSantis nationally but has shown a promising upward trend, while the Florida governor’s numbers continue to decline.