The Washington Examiner’s Sarah Bedford said GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses shows that significant ad spending and the backing of major donors do not necessarily bring results.
Former President Donald Trump beat out both Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) with 51% of the vote in Iowa on Monday despite spending about half the amount of money in ads of that of his opponents. Haley spent more than $36 million in ads in Iowa, while DeSantis spent nearly $35 million, and Trump spent just over $18 million.
“Spending like that from Nikki Haley raises the expectations that she will perform, perhaps better than what we’ve seen so far,” Bedford told Your World with Neil Cavuto. “She is the best-funded candidate. She certainly has had the most media buzz around her. The most, you know, parts of the Republican establishment have lined up behind her. Yet, her polling hasn’t really managed to break higher than 25%-30% in New Hampshire and lower elsewhere. And she played third in the Iowa caucuses.”
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“So, at a certain point, all of that spending and all of that hype failing to materialize into votes,” Bedford added. “Short of an outright victory over Donald Trump in New Hampshire, it’s hard to see her changing the dynamics of the race with just a few ads when already we’re seeing the polls coming to fruition and Donald Trump’s lead materializing in actual victories.”
Ahead of the Republican New Hampshire primary next week, Haley has already spent nearly $30 million in the state, while former President Donald Trump has spent more than $14 million, and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has spent $8 million.
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Haley managed to earn 19% of Iowa Republicans’ support Monday. DeSantis just bested her with 21% support. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy gathered just 8% support.
Following Trump’s large victory in Iowa, Ramaswamy announced his withdrawal from the race. In his announcement, he offered his endorsement of Trump.