Ramaswamy Campaign Halts TV Ad Spending

Facts

Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign confirmed through a spokeswoman Tuesday that it has stopped spending money on television ads with two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses — the first step in the Republican Party’s 2024 nomination process.¹
Tricia McLaughlin announced that the campaign will maintain its total advertising outlays, but instead of traditional television ads, it will seek a 'higher return on investment' through other methods like 'addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls and doors to communicate with our voters.'¹
According to AdImpact, a website tracking advertising spending, Ramswamy’s campaign already reduced its TV ad spending from $200K during the first week of December to $6K last week.²
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ramaswamy described TV ad spending as 'idiotic' and a way for campaign consultants to 'bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ.' He also promised a 'big surprise' for Iowa on January 15.³
Despite some strong early polling, The Hill/Decision Desk aggregation of polls showed Ramaswamy held 5.8% support in Iowa, and just 3.8% support nationwide. Former Pres. Donald Trump remains the overwhelming frontrunner in the polls with 51.6% in Iowa and 63.1% nationally.⁴

Narrative A, as provided by AlterNet. Ramaswamy doesn’t want to admit it, but his campaign is on its last legs. If the polling isn’t enough to prove he has no chance in Iowa, or any of the other early states, the fact that he already conceded the majority of the spotlight by recently cutting back on TV spending should be enough to sideline him.
Narrative B, as provided by New York Post. The Ramaswamy campaign isn’t conceding, but rather pivoting to be more nimble and better target its message while following the data — something the other candidates, who are throwing money away, aren’t doing. Ramaswamy is still in this race to win it and Iowa is set to be the site of a major political upset.