Nikki Haley Spends Big But Keeps Coming Up Short

As Nikki Haley takes questions from New Hampshire voters on CNN tonight after failing to meet her own campaign’s expectations in Iowa, DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Nikki Haley only knows how to run one playbook in this primary: Burn through millions while dodging questions about her support for the most extreme parts of the MAGA agenda. Voters clearly aren’t buying whatever toxic MAGA rebrand Haley is trying to sell them.”

Haley’s campaign surrogate Chris Sununu said Haley would finish a “strong second” in Iowa, while Haley herself said she expected to have a “strong showing.”

New York Post: “NH Gov. Chris Sununu predicts Haley primary win, ‘strong second’ in Iowa as race for GOP nom heats up”

Semafor: “With two weeks to go until the Iowa caucus, presidential candidates are fine-tuning their messaging, blitzing the state with appearances and ads, and — in Nikki Haley’s case — setting some clear expectations for the next few months. … [Chris Sununu] said that Haley would ‘shock everyone in Iowa with a strong second,’ before winning New Hampshire outright and forcing a ‘one-on-one’ race with Trump.”

Haley: “I think we have to be strong in Iowa, strong in New Hampshire, strong in South Carolina. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Haley: “I want to get a strong showing in Iowa, a strong showing in New Hampshire, a strong showing in South Carolina.”

Haley finished in third place despite having her campaign invest heavily in Iowa – including by spending more on ads than any other candidate’s apparatus.

Business Insider: “[Haley] earned over 21,000 votes, coming in third place in the caucuses, having spent approximately $1,760 per vote.”

CNBC: “Among the top three, Haley and her allies have spent the most: $37 million in Iowa alone.”

TIME: “Heading into the final two weeks of the costliest contest in Iowa caucus history, Haley is the undisputed champion on the local airwaves, where there is no avoiding almost 350,000 cumulative political ads and counting. She and her allies have scheduled a massive $4.6 million in advertising before the caucus, according to AdImpact.”

NBC News: “Haley’s campaign… has spent $4.6 million on ads there and has another $1.3 million reserved for the closing weeks.”

“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.”

Extreme MAGA group Americans for Prosperity Action endorsed Haley and ran an extensive ground game in the lead-up to the caucus, with little to show in return.

CNBC: “Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC backing Haley and financed in part by billionaire Charles Koch, said they planned to knock on 50,000 doors in the eight days between Jan. 7 and Iowa Caucus day. The group told CNBC they have more than 150 staff and volunteers throughout the Hawkeye State, working to build support for Haley. In addition to the volunteers, AFP Action has spent over $900,000 on pro-Haley ads targeting Iowa voters, according AdImpact.”

Fox News: “Americans for Prosperity Action… is launching a new phase in its large ad and grassroots effort on behalf of Nikki Haley’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. The ad blitz, which was shared first with Fox News on Friday, includes mailers, digital ads and connected TV spots that will run starting this week in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. … AFP Action… says it’s putting an initial $27 million behind this new wave in their ongoing campaign.”

KCCI: “By Jan. 15, AFP Action will have knocked on 200,000 doors in the state of Iowa since the endorsement. And over the next eight days, he expects the team to knock on 50,ooo doors. … They have a team of 150 volunteers and paid staff members deployed across the state dedicated to their grassroots effort.”

NBC News: “The conservative group Americans for Prosperity, which endorsed Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, roughly two weeks ago, has deployed more than 100 people across the state to knock on doors for her, said Drew Klein, a senior adviser for AFP Action. It has committed $4 million already to Haley in early state canvassing and digital ads, with more money expected as the Republican presidential primaries near.”

Bloomberg: “Drew Klein, a regional vice president for Americans for Prosperity, said the advocacy group has about 150 volunteers in Iowa going door-to-door on any given day. It’s also building out digital and mail advertisements. Since endorsing Haley, AFP has reached more than 300,000 voters in Iowa on her behalf, according to Riggs, the AFP spokesman.”