Nikki Haley Spends $4.3 Million on TV Ads in New Hampshire Push

Presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke to a crowd of supporters at the McIntyre Ski Resort in Manchester, N.H., after winning the endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, seen seated in the front. Alice Giordano/The Epoch Times

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley is outspending her opponents by a wide margin in New Hampshire in an effort to spur on her rising campaign.

According to an Epoch Times analysis of Federal Communications Commission disclosures released by broadcasters in the three metro areas that connect to the Granite State, leading GOP candidates spent more than $7 million on television advertisements that have been or will be broadcast between the beginning of November and the state’s Jan. 23 primary.

The analysis included affiliates of the four major networks—ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC—in New Hampshire. Those market areas are Boston, Massachusetts, and Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine, and Auburn, New Hampshire; and Burlington and Plattsburgh, Vermont.

New Hampshire, a state of about 1.4 million, is one of the smallest states in the union in terms of land area and population. About half of its citizens live within 30 miles of the Massachusetts state line, making southern New Hampshire an outer suburb of the greater Boston area.

After the GOP’s Iowa Caucus concludes on Jan. 15, all eyes will be on New Hampshire. According to the latest poll focused on the state, conducted by CBS News and YouGov plc between Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 and published Dec. 17, former President Donald Trump is the leading choice with 44 percent of likely voter’s support.

Following President Trump, Ms. Haley polled at 29 percent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 11, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 10, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 5 percent. The poll reports a margin of error of 5.5 percent.

Nikki Haley, a candidate for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, makes her case at a town hall event in Nevada, Iowa, on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Austin Alonzo/The Epoch Times

Nikki Haley

Following a recent surge in national polling and notable endorsements from big political donors, Ms. Haley is making a significant investment in the Boston area. Moreover, she is the only candidate who is currently set to advertise in both the Portland-Auburn and Burlington-Plattsburgh designated market areas through primary day.

Cumulatively, the Haley campaign has spent more than $4.3 million to appear on televisions in the New Hampshire region through Jan. 23.

Ms. Haley’s campaign is spending more than $3.8 million on the Boston stations. Most of that spending, about $2.6 million, comes from her hybrid political action committee SFA Fund Inc. The fund, however, has advertised in the market since August.

In recent weeks, Ms. Haley split her time between Iowa and New Hampshire. The former South Carolina governor is making an effort to position herself as more electable than President Trump or any other Republican or Democratic competitor.

Ms. Haley enjoyed a steady rise in the New Hampshire polls since October. In August, according to a poll by The Trafalgar Group, she had only 3 percent support.

Former President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Dec. 19, 2023. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump

Despite Ms. Haley’s powerful polling performance of late, President Trump still leads the state and national polls by a healthy margin. As in Iowa, the Trump campaign is not sitting idly by, nor is it buying ad time through the primary day.

That said, President Trump is the second biggest spender in New England right now. His campaign committee and his super political action committee—Make America Great Again Inc.—spent more than $1.7 million to keep his ads on the air in Boston through Jan. 8. Most of the spending, $1.7 million, is coming out of the PAC.

For now, the Trump campaign is not advertising in the other New Hampshire markets. Boston, according to most measures, is a top 10 media market. The other two do not crack the top 75.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the crowd during a campaign rally at the Thunderdome event venue in Newton, Iowa, on Dec. 2, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ron DeSantis

Mr. DeSantis, a big spender in Iowa, is not heavily invested in New Hampshire. Although he polled as high as 39 percent in June, according to a University of New Hampshire poll, the candidate is cutting back on expenditures in New England. His campaign spent about $500,000 on ads through the end of November.

FEC records indicate the DeSantis campaign began spending in Boston as early as April and played a number of ads through October. For now, his main super PAC—Never Back Down Inc.—spent about $405,000 to air ads in Boston during the final two weeks before the primary. Neither the PAC nor Mr. DeSantis’ principal campaign committee currently have contracts signed to air ads before the final weeks of January.

Never Back Down also had a number of ads scheduled in the much cheaper Burlington-Plattsburgh area, but its commitment there ended in November and is not currently scheduled to resume.

On the campaign trail in Iowa, Mr. DeSantis remains confident he will outperform expectations in the GOP caucus in spite of sagging polling figures and numerous reports of dysfunction in his campaign.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks to reporters in the spin room following the NewsNation Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Chris Christie

The Christie campaign remains focused on New Hampshire, but it is still the smallest spender among qualified candidates.

As of Dec. 20, a super PAC supporting Mr. Christie—Tell It Like It Is PAC—bought about $470,000 worth of advertisements to keep the candidate on air in Boston through the primary day.

Mr. Christie has spent his time campaigning in New Hampshire and, for now, appears to be skipping the Iowa caucuses. The candidate has polled between 5 and 15 percent in New Hampshire since September, according to numerous polls.

Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to guests during a campaign stop at AmericInn in Webster City, Iowa, on Dec. 19, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Vivek Ramaswamy

The Ramaswamy campaign is not purchasing, nor has it ever purchased, TV ads in any of the New Hampshire-related markets.

Mr. Ramaswamy only broke the 10 percent support threshold once. He hit 13 percent in a CNN and University of New Hampshire poll in September.

For now, Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign is spending most of his time making personal appeals to voters in the Hawkeye State.