Super PAC supporting Tim Scott places $40 million ad reservation
By Kit Maher
(CNN) — A super PAC supporting Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential run is placing a $40 million TV and digital ad reservation – the largest amount booked for any presidential candidate so far in the 2024 race.
Trust In The Mission, or TIM PAC, said Tuesday the ad buy will run September 7 through January 2024 across early primary voting states Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as well as on national cable networks.
The advertising blitz could help the South Carolina senator – who is polling in single digits – boost his name recognition among primary voters and help draw the attention of deep-pocketed donors weighing alternatives to the front-runners for the Republican nomination.
“This initial ad reservation allows us to lock-in the best inventory, times and locations at the lowest cost for any outside group in the 2024 race. As prices skyrocket in the coming weeks, we will have a stable plan that will allow us to efficiently communicate our message, conduct a well-rounded campaign and better manage our cash,” Trust In The Mission PAC Co-Chair Rob Collins said in a statement.
This comes in addition to a previously announced TIM PAC $7.25 million TV and digital ad buy that started in May and runs through August.
The top two advertisers so far – the super PACs backing former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – have spent less than $40 million combined, according to AdImpact data, spending $19.9 million and $15.6 million, respectively.
TIM PAC said it will modify the ad reservation as necessary, but it is initially reserved for $40 million.
The announcement, coming not long after TIM PAC announced that it had ended the second quarter on June 30 with $15 million in available cash, likely indicates that the super PAC has received a fresh infusion of money in recent days to underwrite the advertising. Super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals and corporations but are prohibited from coordinating their spending with candidates.
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CNN’s Fredreka Schouten contributed to this report.
