From July 1 to July 24, Scott and his PAC, Trust in the Mission, spent a combined $3.1 billion on television and digital ads for the 2024 presidential primary, according to AdImpact. The pro-Scott super PAC also placed a $40 million TV and digital ad reservation in addition to $7 million slated for August — the first campaign to do so post-Labor Day.
If this substantial spending continues, Scott has the potential to slip into third place behind the former president and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
This is significant as Scott and some outsider candidates are slightly rising in some state polls, narrowing their margin between themselves and DeSantis. The South Carolina senator reached double digits in Iowa and South Carolina, two GOP primary battleground states.
In Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, Scott's Trust in the Mission PAC reserved $19.9 million, making the PAC the biggest spender of the presidential race at $25.9 million. On July 21, one day later, the pro-Scott PAC bumped its total spending up to $30.8 million.
Pro-Scott spending nationwide sits at $31.9 million, over $10 million more than pro-Trump spending and over $15 million more than pro-DeSantis spending, as of July 20.
#Election2024: In the last 2 days, we've seen Trust in the Mission PAC (Pro-Tim Scott) reserve $19.9M in IA, NH, and SC. They're now the highest spender of the Presidential race ($25.9M).— AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) July 20, 2023
Pro-Scott spending now stands at $31.9M nationwide.
Pro-Trump: $21.6M
Pro-DeSantis: $16.7M
DeSantis himself has trickled down to a 19.3% RCP average, a slight dip from his ratings in March and early summer where he broke or hit around 30%. Trump maintains a significant lead, with Real Clear Politics marking him at an average of 51.0%.
Still, Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and DeSantis's super PAC, Never Back Down, remain the top ad spenders, with the former spending $19.9 million and the latter spending $15.6 million. Scott sits in fourth place with $4.3 million spent on ads.
DeSantis, Scott, Trump, as well as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all qualify for the Republican National Committee's first primary debate on Aug. 23.
Scott is counting on the debates to help him present himself as a compelling and optimistic alternative to Trump, as big-money Republican donors are reportedly dissatisfied with their options. If Trump does not appear at the RNC debate, for which he is still noncommital, it could be a showdown between DeSantis and Scott.