Presidential hopeful and Trump challenger Nikki Haley is reportedly launching a seven-figure national cable and digital ad buy leading up to Super Tuesday, Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters ahead of South Carolina’s primary results.
While poll after poll shows Haley down by double digits in her home state of South Carolina, she has made it abundantly clear she plans to remain in the race regardless of the results on Saturday.
“South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president,” Haley told supporters during a speech in Greenville this week, making it clear she is “not going anywhere,” regardless of the results in her home state.
That point was emphasized again by Ankney, who told reporters Haley’s campaign is set to launch a “seven-figure national cable and digital” ad buy ahead of Super Tuesday:
This coincides with the strategy offered by her campaign ahead of New Hampshire’s primary results, as her campaign made it clear Haley was going to count on non-conservative voters in open primary states to support her moving forward. A memo released by Haley’s campaign on New Hampshire’s primary day stated that the “path through Super Tuesday includes more states than not that have this dynamic,” allowing unaffiliated voters to participate.
As Breitbart News detailed:
The memo lays out what it apparently views as Haley’s path to victory, including a strong performance in South Carolina, which has no party registration. Then the campaign moves on to Michigan, the memo states, which has an open primary.
The memo adds that 11 of the 16 Super Tuesday states have open or “semi-open” primaries. In other words, the campaign believes there is “significant fertile ground” for Haley on Super Tuesday, attracting non-conservative voters.
“After Super Tuesday, we will have a very good picture of where this race stands,” the memo added.
Even former challenger Gov. Ron DeSantis questioned Haley’s strategy of appealing to non-conservatives to win the Republican primary race.
“To try to appeal to people who aren’t a part of that base for a primary — I just didn’t understand that,” the governor said during a stop in the Palmetto State this week.
“There’s no question that South Carolina is going to be a big victory for Donald Trump because he appeals to core Republicans in a way that Nikki Haley just does not or is not trying to,” he added.
RELATED VIDEO — Ron DeSantis Drops Out of GOP Primary, Endorses Trump:
Ron DeSantis / TwitterTrump adviser Jason Miller mocked Haley’s plan to launch a massive nationwide ad campaign, remarking, “The birdbrains flew into the propeller on this one.”
“If you’re a donor falling for this birdbrain math, you too are a birdbrain!” he added:
The latest RealClearPolitics average showed Trump leading Haley in South Carolina by an average of 25.3 points.
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