Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign plans to book $10 million in television, radio and digital advertising in Iowa and New Hampshire starting the first week of December — its first advertising investment of the cycle and a move that should have given the candidate a boost as the clock ticks down on the field. made significant gains against former President Donald J. Trump.
Ms. Haley, former governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. With Trump, there is a steady increase in the number of early voting states in polls. A string of outstanding debate performances has brought in big donors and supporters after months of campaigning, with campaign officials saying more than $1 million was raised in the 24 hours after last week’s debate.
She is now second in the election in New Hampshire and third in Iowaaccording to some surveys, but Mr. Trump remains the dominant leader in those states and nationally.
Her campaign is betting on an eventual Haley-Trump showdown in South Carolina, her home state and third on the nominating calendar. The odds for that scenario improved late Sunday, when Sen. Tim Scott, her home-state rival, dropped out of the race without an endorsement. But Ms. Haley now wants to outdo her main challenger for second place, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to become a clear alternative to Mr. Trump.
Andrew Romeo, the communications director, argued on Monday that only Mr. DeSantis had “the best combination of support, ground game and messaging in early states” to rise above Mr. Trump. “It’s clear that Nikki Haley can’t possibly beat Donald Trump, and every dollar spent on her candidacy is in-kind for the Trump campaign,” Mr. Romeo said.
Betsy Ankeny, Ms. Haley’s campaign manager, argued that even if Mr. DeSantis did well in Iowa, he was in such a diminished position in New Hampshire and South Carolina that it wouldn’t have mattered. “He has no end game,” she said in a memo about the race published this month.
The Associated Press first time reported ad buy on monday. That far outstrips Mr. DeSantis, who plans to spend more than $500,000 starting in December, according to AdImpact, a media monitoring firm.
Ms. Haley, a former accountant, stuck to her playbook for winning tough races in the past: She kept costs low while saving what money she had for television ads.
While the super PAC supporting her has already spent more than $22 million on advertising in early primary states, according to AdImpact, her campaign has not booked advertising so far.
Alyce McFadden and Nicholas Nehamas contributed to the reporting.