Iowa GOP Caucus Breaks Record with $120M in Ad Spending

Republican campaigns and their political action committees spent a record $120 million in ad buys in Iowa ahead of Monday’s caucus, making it the most expensive ever in the state, CNBC reported Monday.

Roughly $84 million was spent by the top three candidates — front-runner Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis — with Haley spending the most at $37 million, according to the report.

By comparison, total outside spending by Republicans in Iowa in 2016 was $32 million, Politico reported.

Regardless, Trump is still expected to win the state in a landslide. He entered Monday with 52.7% support with Haley pulling 18.7%, according to the FiveThirtyEight.com polling average. DeSantis is third at 15.8%.

Even Haley implied defeat in the Hawkeye State, recently encouraging New Hampshire voters to correct the mistakes of Iowa voters.

Still, the Trump campaign and super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. aired 21,000 TV spots in Iowa this cycle compared to the 22,000 run by Haley and her supporting PACs.

“Judging by the number of ads placed in Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump’s campaign is not taking those states for granted,” Michael Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, told CNBC in a statement regarding the TV ad buys.

Politico analysis put the total spending in Iowa even higher, at $136 million.

The PAC backing Haley, Americans for Prosperity Action, also unleashed a staff and volunteer corps of 150 to knock on 50,000 doors over the course of the final week heading into Monday’s caucus.

The PAC backing DeSantis, Never Back Down, said it has knocked on 915,000 doors all over Iowa. The DeSantis campaign and corresponding PACs have spent a combined $30 million in Iowa, according to CNBC.

The Trump super PAC MAGA demurred when asked about its ground efforts in support of spending.

“We’ll leave the pre-election backslapping to others,” Taylor Budowich told CNBC. “I have no interest in telegraphing strategic or tactical efforts to the media.”