The campaign for the 2024 presidential elections is only just beginning. It is a fast, louder, and more expensive pace.
AdImpact, a company that tracks advertising spending, reports that Republican candidates and groups spent nearly $30 million in ads during the party’s primaries this year. The Republican candidates and groups will have spent almost $30 million on ads in the party’s primary this year, according to data from AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm.
Super PACs are the main source of spending, and former President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. is spending heavily to attack Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, DeSantis Never Back Down PAC and other positive ads are run by Ron DeSantis. The accelerated pace highlights key dynamics in the Republican race for White House.
Megadonors and super PACs play a larger role now than ever before. Since years, candidates have taken advantage of lax campaign finance laws in order to prepare for the race and save money for use or to send to their allies. The competition between Trump and DeSantis is set to be a brawl unlike anything seen before .
Alex Conant is a GOP strategist and former communications director of Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign in Florida.
Conant added, “This time Trump is trying the ‘kill them at the crib’ approach to eliminate his competitors early.” “Some of the potential challengers want to prove that they are worthy.”
The pace of the GOP primary in 2024 is a massive increase from the last open Republican presidential primary. Prior to 2016, the first dollar was not spent on advertising until April 3, 2015 In June, $1 million was spent, followed by $10 million in August and $20 million at the end of September.
The Republican campaign spent $1 million on March 25. It then went on to spend $10 million by late April, and $20 million early May. They are expected to reach $30 million on the 27th of May.
Conant stated that inflation is also present in politics. It’s more expensive to reach voters but also easier to raise funds than before.
DeSantis is already a 20 million dollar donor in the 2024 presidential race, according to Time Magazine. This could be the largest super PAC contribution ever made in a presidential primaries — except for a $35 million donation by tech billionaire Larry Ellison to a super-PAC aligned to Sen. Tim Scott. will also pump more money into 2024.
The primary season is only just starting, but these examples show that the race has been on for many months, if not years. Trump’s super PAC was seeded with millions of dollars in 2021 and 2022, largely raised by small donors. DeSantis appears ready for his super PAC, which will be bolstered with over $80 million raised primarily while he ran for re-election.
Not just Trump or DeSantis. Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador, spent years building a list of small donors in her nonprofit political organization before announcing that she was running for president. Scott accumulated nearly $22 millions in his Senate campaign fund, which he could transfer to a presidential bid. He then launched his official 2024 campaign with launch plans , including a multimillion dollar ad purchase.
Pre-planning is one of the reasons why the presidential campaigns have been able accelerate so much faster than the previous two. Candidates who are only able to raise a few thousand from each donor will need more time to accumulate funds. The Democratic presidential field of 2020 is also super-PAC-averse.
By this time, the 2016 GOP campaign had not really begun. In late May 2015, the top spender was a non-profit, Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America. It had spent less than $400,000 to attack Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul.
Many of the tactics used in early 2024 were tested in previous campaigns as politicians and political agents explored the vaguely defined boundaries of campaign finance laws.
Former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush’s novel fundraising strategy in 2015 revolutionized the presidential campaign. Before he announced he would be running, he had raised $100 million for a super-PAC to support his bid. The practice of raising super PAC money before a campaign is underway has become a common feature, despite concerns about the strategy’s compliance with the spirit of law that limits the amount of funds a candidate can raise.
Carly Fiorina, a former business executive and politician, outsourced a large part of her campaign to a super PAC that supports her candidacy. DeSantis is expected to have more than enough money to start his campaign this election cycle. However, Never Back Down has signaled its intention to create a grassroots organization, which is traditionally the responsibility of the campaign itself, to supplement the campaign’s operation.
These strategies were so mature that Trump’s and DeSantis’ teams were prepared to fight right away in this year. It’s not slowing down any time soon.
