The leading pro-Nikki Haley super PAC is making last-ditch efforts to help the former U.N. ambassador gain an edge over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in Iowa, the latest being an ad portraying the Florida governor as a “suck up“ to former President Donald Trump.
The Stand For America PAC released the ad as part of a $1.6 million buy, one of several that Haley has funneled into the Hawkeye State ahead of the Republican caucuses, which begin on Monday. In the final stretch before the caucuses, Haley and DeSantis continue to battle for second place as Trump holds on to his steady lead among GOP voters.
This latest ad attempt to sway undecided voters to her side uses audio of a crowd yelling “who’s your daddy” while photos of Trump and DeSantis circulate throughout the video, according to CBS News. The ad also uses footage from DeSantis’s 2018 gubernatorial run that echoed aspects of Trump’s campaign, showing him building a toy wall with a child and saying the former president’s championed slogan “Make America Great Again.”
At the end of the ad, a message says, “America needs strength. Not a suck up.”
“Voters will not cast their ballots for Desperate DeSantis, a Donald Trump wannabe, when they can vote for the real thing,” PAC spokeswoman Brittany Yanick said in a statement announcing the ad. “Nikki Haley is the only candidate in the race who will be able to put the drama of the past eight years behind her and lead America into a strong and secure future.”
The ad will be airing in Iowa ahead of the caucuses, just days after Haley and DeSantis participated in a debate that allowed their first one-on-one faceoff. Until recently, both Haley and DeSantis tried to shy away from discussing Trump in ads and debates. But both took shots at the former president during their debate this week, and this latest salvo could be a sign that Haley’s supporters are looking to cut DeSantis off at the knees before the caucuses begin.
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The former U.N. ambassador has made significant headway in the polls in the Hawkeye State in the final weeks ahead of the state’s GOP nominee selection process.
In the December Iowa Poll, 63% of first-time caucusgoers said they would select Trump as their first choice, compared to 19% for DeSantis and 16% for Haley. However, a Suffolk University Political Research Center poll released on Thursday found Haley with a 7-point lead over DeSantis, 20% to 13% — signaling that it will come down to last-minute choices from independent and undecided voters at the caucuses. Trump maintains the lead at 54% of likely caucusgoers supporting him.
