Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy‘s campaign canceled all TV ad spending less than three weeks before the first nominating contests in the GOP primary began.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has signaled that the canceled TV ad spending does not indicate he will drop out before the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary but that they are choosing to spend campaign finances in a more strategic manner.
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“We are focused on bringing out the voters we’ve identified — best way to reach them is using addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls, and doors to communicate with our voters on Vivek’s vision for America, making their plan to caucus and turning them out,” Tricia McLaughlin, the campaign’s spokeswoman, told NBC News on Tuesday.
“As you know, this isn’t what most campaigns look like. We have intentionally structured this way so that we have the ability to be nimble and hypertargeted in our ad spending,” McLaughlin continued.
The move is an about-face from the campaign, which had earmarked $7 million to $8 million in Iowa and $3 million to $4 million in New Hampshire last month to target voters through broadcast, cable, radio, digital, and direct mail through the primary season. However, Ramaswamy’s campaign has spent only $2.2 million on TV, radio, and digital ads, according to AdImpact.
Ramaswamy attempted to explain the move to cancel TV ad spending on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Presidential TV ad spending is idiotic, low-ROI & a trick that political consultants use to bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ,” he wrote. “We’re doing it differently. Spending $$ in a way that follows data … apparently a crazy idea in US politics. Big surprise coming on Jan 15.”
Presidential TV ad spending is idiotic, low-ROI & a trick that political consultants use to bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ.
We’re doing it differently. Spending $$ in a way that follows data…apparently a crazy idea in US politics.
Big surprise coming on Jan 15. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/i2X7Q5d2T9
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 27, 2023
Since a breakout performance during the first GOP primary debate in late August, Ramaswamy has struggled to maintain the media hype he once courted. He polls at 4%, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average, behind former President Donald Trump at 62.5%, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at 11.3%, and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley at 11%.
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Trump took to Truth Social to say that Ramaswamy would endorse his bid for the GOP nomination. “He will, I am sure, Endorse me. But Vivek is a good man, and is not done yet!” Trump wrote.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Ramaswamy’s campaign for comment.
