A super PAC supporting former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's 2024 presidential campaign plans to step up its efforts ahead of the first Republican National Committee primary debate next month.
A memo from the Stand for America Fund Inc. notes that Haley's top rivals, former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are facing their own unique challenges. Trump's campaign has "hit a plateau" in recent weeks, the memo said, and DeSantis's support has declined over the last six months.
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"While the rest of the field either plateaus or is mired in chaos, it’s clear Nikki Haley is the best presidential candidate to take on Joe Biden and that’s why she’s seeing strong support," wrote Mark Harris, lead strategist of the Stand for America Fund Inc.
Harris also noted that, ahead of the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee, Haley's campaign is about to enter its "second phase.
“With less than a month until Nikki takes the stage in Milwaukee and shows the country why she’s the nation’s best chance to defeat Biden, we are about to enter the second phase of the campaign," Harris continued. "It has long been our view that this will be the time for Nikki’s campaign to grow and it is when our effort will really launch in full."
According to Federal Election Commission reports, Haley raised more than $7 million in the second quarter. Haley has raised $15.6 million since the start of her presidential campaign in February while Stand For America Fund Inc. raised $18.7 million during the second quarter, bringing the total amount of money raised this year to $34.3 million. Haley's campaign and affiliated committees have $9.3 million in cash on hand, while the Stand for America Fund has $17 million in cash on hand, which it intends to use to engage voters in early nominating states.
"In the coming weeks, we will fund an aggressive voter contact campaign to increase awareness about Nikki, getting as much bang for our buck," Harris wrote.
According to a RealClearPolitics polling average, Haley garners 3.6% of Republican primary voter support, far below Trump at 53.7% and DeSantis at 20.9%.
In addition to Trump and DeSantis, Harris singled out Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) as the only other viable candidate for the nomination. But Harris wrote that the Scott campaign appears to have blown "through over $20 million dollars, so they have less cash today than before their campaign launch.
"After reporting disappointing fundraising numbers, we see he spent MORE than he raised in the first quarter which likely explains why Scott’s team has dropped the volume of their ad buy," Harris added.
Scott's campaign raised $6.1 million in the second quarter and has $21 million in cash on hand, nearly double the $12 million DeSantis's campaign has on hand and just a little under Trump's $22.5 million.
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Yet Harris noted Haley's team is preserving its resources for paid media instead of burning through cash as other campaigns are doing.
"Presidential campaigns are all about the final 30 days, where we usually see dramatic swings," he said. "While it’s unlikely there will be tremendous polling movement before the end of the year, our effort is to build the base for Nikki, whose incredible track record, talent for retail politics and determination to win will allow her to make a strong late move in New Hampshire and Iowa."