Organizations supporting President Biden’s re-election are currently outspending every Republican 2024 candidate on advertising — ponying up more than $41.7 million so far, the The Post has learned.
The large early ad blitz from the pro-Biden groups marks an increase from the re-election efforts of former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama at similar points in the 2020 and 2012 cycles, respectively, and points to a more cohesive effort to get the 80-year-old commander-in-chief another term.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate nearing that advertising spend, coming in at more than $41.4 million when accounting for both his campaign and affiliated super PACs, according to AdImpact data analyzed by The Post.
Groups affiliated with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott dropped more than $35.3 million on ads, followed by Trump at more than $31.1 million and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at $25.5 million.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, by contrast, has only spent around $5 million on advertising.
The early focus on advertising is a result of large fundraising hauls and is designed to test out different messages in a “fragmented” media environment, campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told the Washington Post, adding that the strategy should scale up in the spring of next year.
The largest super PAC contributing to Biden’s war chest is Future Forward USA Action, which has spent more than $19.4 million so far this election cycle, according to AdImpact.
The Biden campaign elevated the group as its main money pit for 2024, with top Biden adviser Anita Dunn telling the New York Times this summer that it had “really earned its place as the pre-eminent super PAC supporting the Biden-Harris agenda.”
The ads tend to focus on Biden’s economic policies and many are targeted towards black and Latino voters. The Biden campaign has also shot ads highlighting the commander-in-chief’s foreign policy efforts toward Ukraine, and has placed anti-Trump commercials in battleground states.
The Biden campaign announced a 16-week early ad blitz in August, vowing to put up $25 million worth of commercials in swing states amid dismal approval ratings and voter concerns about the president’s age.
