In the lead-up to the second Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and their respective allies have engaged in a fierce war of words on New Hampshire’s airwaves. Haley’s campaign and supporting groups have made significant investments in the Granite State, outspending Trump’s political network by approximately double since the 2024 race began. However, Trump and his allies have increased their ad spending in the new year, narrowing Haley’s advantage.
According to AdImpact, a firm that tracks ad spending, Republican campaigns and outside groups have collectively spent over $77 million on advertising in New Hampshire. This figure significantly surpasses the roughly $50 million spent during the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination battle.
Trump’s political network has spent over $10 million on TV ads, aiming to counter the challenge posed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Despite this, Trump secured a dominant win in the Iowa caucuses last week, with DeSantis and Haley finishing second and third respectively. DeSantis subsequently ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump.
With a more competitive race anticipated in New Hampshire, Trump and his allies have shifted their focus to Haley, spending over $6 million on attack ads. In response, Haley and her allies have launched their own offensive, spending over $4 million on ads targeting the former president.
AdImpact data reveals that Haley’s campaign and supporting groups have spent over $31 million on advertising in New Hampshire since the start of 2023. By comparison, Trump’s campaign and its allies have spent approximately $15.7 million, while a pro-DeSantis super PAC spent around $8 million in the state last year.
In the final days of the New Hampshire race, the super PAC supporting Haley, SFA Fund, released a new ad featuring popular Gov. Chris Sununu. The ad criticizes Trump and praises Haley, marking a significant shift in messaging from pro-Haley advertisers.
Countering these efforts, Trump and his allies have spent millions attacking Haley on air in New Hampshire. The Trump campaign has spent over $800,000 on an ad claiming that Haley would cut Social Security benefits, while MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump, has spent over $2.5 million airing an ad that portrays Haley as weak on border security.
Looking beyond New Hampshire, Trump, Haley, and their supporting super PACs are largely holding their fire, awaiting the outcome of the Granite State contest. The next two states hosting GOP nominating contests, Nevada and South Carolina, have seen far less ad spending than New Hampshire and Iowa.
On the Democratic side, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and his supporters have invested nearly $5 million in advertising in New Hampshire, where President Biden is not on the ballot. Biden and the outside groups supporting his reelection have not advertised in the state, though supporters have undertaken a low-key write-in effort on the president’s behalf.