[KARAH RUCKER]

IT’S 2024, LET’S TALK PRIMARIES. WHERE DO THINGS STAND AS WE TAKE A DIVE INTO THE ELECTION YEAR? THE IOWA CAUCUSES ARE UP FIRST AND JUST WEEKS AWAY ON THE 15TH. NEW HAMPSHIRE’S PRIMARY IS ALSO THIS MONTH.

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES – ARE SCRAMBLING TO PICK UP SUPPORT TO TRY AND TIGHTEN THE COMMANDING LEAD FRONT-RUNNER DONALD TRUMP HAS IN THE PARTY.

TV AD SPENDING HAS SOARED IN IOWA AMONG ALL OF THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS. SPENDING HAS TOPPED $105 MILLION IN THE HAWKEYE STATE, WITH AT LEAST ANOTHER $7 MILLION EXPECTED TO BE SPENT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

THAT NUMBER IS LARGELY DRIVEN BY NIKKI HALEY’S CAMPAIGN. THE SUPER-PAC BACKING HALEY SPENDING BIG MONEY TO SLAM FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS IN THE FINAL STRETCH.

ONE CANDIDATE STILL IN THE RACE IS NO LONGER SPENDING HIS CAMPAIGN MONEY ON TV ADVERTISING. VIVEK RAMASWAMY SAYS SPENDING MONEY ON TV ADS HAS A LOW RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

RAMASWAMY WROTE ON X, “PRESIDENTIAL TV AD SPENDING IS IDIOTIC & A TRICK THAT POLITICAL CONSULTANTS USE TO BAMBOOZLE CANDIDATES WHO SUFFER FROM LOW IQ.

WE’RE DOING IT DIFFERENTLY. SPENDING $$ IN A WAY THAT FOLLOWS DATA…APPARENTLY A CRAZY IDEA IN U.S. POLITICS.”

IN ANOTHER LAST MINUTE PUSH TO APPEAL TO VOTERS, ANOTHER DEBATE HOSTED BY CNN WILL AIR DAYS BEFORE THE IOWA CAUCUSES. THE STAGE IS PROJECTED TO LOOK A LOT MORE EMPTY THAN DURING ONES PAST. SHAPING UP TO LOOK MORE LIKE A ONE ON ONE BETWEEN DESANTIS AND HALEY.

AND LIKE WITH PREVIOUS DEBATES, TRUMP IS DOING HIS OWN THING. A FOX NEWS TOWNHALL IN COUNTER-PROGRAMMING TO CNN’S DEBATE.

WITH PRIMARY VOTING  FINALLY GETTING UNDERWAY AHEAD OF THIS YEAR’S GENERAL ELECTION, TRUMP’S COUNTING ON CONTINUED SUPPORT AMONG THE BASE, WHICH STARTED HIGH AND HAS STEADILY GAINED, NOT LOSING, STEAM.

ACCORDING TO THE LATEST “NBC/DES MOINES REGISTER POLL,” TRUMP’S LEAD IS THE LARGEST RECORDED IN A “COMPETITIVE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS” IN “IOWA POLL’S HISTORY.”