(NewsNation) — With just weeks to go before the first Republican primary contest in Iowa, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley now leads the field when it comes to total ad support.
Haley’s campaign and her allies have spent or reserved $49 million in ads, according to AdImpact. That puts her ahead of President Joe Biden ($48.5 million) and former President Donald Trump ($43.1 million).
Roughly half of Haley’s total ($24.3 million) is in Iowa, ahead of both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ($21.5 million) and Trump ($14.3 million) in terms of ad support.
Campaigns and their allies have spent or committed more than $200 million across ads in the GOP primary. Over 40% of that has been spent in Iowa, according to Adimpact.
The content of those ads has varied, with each candidate taking a different approach.
Haley has focused on her foreign policy experience as a former U.N. ambassador while criticizing Biden, specifically his age. In one ad, she called Congress the most exclusive nursing home in America.
DeSantis’ ads criticize Biden’s policies at the southern border, which remain a common theme in his stump speeches. The Florida governor’s groups have also gone after Haley, who’s gained momentum in the polls.
But Trump remains the clear GOP front-runner and continues to spend big in Iowa. The former president holds a 30-point lead in the state over his next closest challenger, DeSantis.
Here’s how ad support breaks down among presidential hopefuls:
- Nikki Haley: $49 million
- Joe Biden: $48.5 million
- Ron DeSantis: $47.4 million
- Donald Trump: $43.1 million
- Vivek Ramaswamy: $7.9 million
- Chris Christie: $7.3 million
