Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) seems to have disappeared from the airwaves in early primary states despite his commitment to stay in the 2024 race.
After losing to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa Republican caucuses Monday, coming in a distant second, DeSantis does not have any ads running in New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada, according to ad tracking services.
Not only has his campaign apparently gone silent, but the various super PACs supporting his 2024 bid have also vanished from television in the early nominating states.
As the New Hampshire primary election approaches next week, WMUR’s advertising for the Friday 6-9 a.m. time slot was released. According to Medium Buying, there are 24 political ads running in the three-hour window — none of which are for DeSantis.
The Florida governor’s absence from New Hampshire’s airwaves could be explained by his decision to pivot to South Carolina early to undermine former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state. This week, DeSantis relocated the bulk of his campaign staff to the Palmetto State, effectively skipping over the New Hampshire and Nevada nominating contests and prioritizing South Carolina’s more conservative and religious electorate.
Strategists and pollsters have pointed to the shift as a strategic move by his campaign. Todd Belt, professor and director of the political management master’s program at George Washington University, said DeSantis is “regrouping, cutting costs, and raising money.”
“I think he’s going to leave New Hampshire relatively uncontested,” Belt predicted. Instead, he said, DeSantis will likely save and build his resources for South Carolina in a bid to defeat Haley, dealing “a serious blow to her candidacy.”
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However, DeSantis also does not appear to have a presence on South Carolina’s ad landscape.
According to an additional tracking service, AdImpact Politics, the last DeSantis ad to air on television was Monday, the night of the Iowa caucuses, which he lost by 30 points. That is reportedly the longest period his campaign and PACs Never Back Down, Fight Right, and Good Fight have gone without appearing on the airwaves.
The service noted that none of the entities had reservations for ads in the other early states.
DeSantis’s campaign and Never Back Down did not provide comment to the Washington Examiner.
The Florida governor’s vanishing from the airwaves could be explained by financial troubles, South Carolina Republican strategist Chip Felkel suggested.
“First guess is he spent it all in Iowa,” Felkel said. “And with Haley’s apparent momentum, he is not getting the donor support that he was.”
David Greenberg, professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University, added, “It has been obvious for a while that without a surprise victory or close second-place finish in Iowa, DeSantis is in trouble.”
His lack of ad presence could be evidence of his team “realizing that it’s time to close up shop,” Greenberg said.
While some speculate an end could be coming soon for DeSantis’s presidential bid, he is not signaling as much quite yet.
Radio host Hugh Hewitt asked the Florida governor Thursday if he would commit to sticking it out through March and if he had “the money and the staff and the ability to compete through the end of March.”
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“Oh, yes on that,” DeSantis responded. “One hundred percent. We can do that.”
Despite this, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean anticipates DeSantis will call it quits after South Carolina in February. He said the lack of ads represents “clear signals that the support is running out.”