GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Stops All TV Advertising After Spending $4 Million On It, Calling Ads ‘A Waste’

Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate in the Iowa caucus race, has stopped all TV advertising, claiming that it is an ineffective and costly method.

Despite his decision to drop off the airwaves, Ramaswamy remains confident that his campaign will defy expectations and emerge victorious.

“Mostly everybody who’s advertising on TV right now is probably wasting their money,” he told Politico. “And ourselves, we were included in that category…It’s basically the most expensive [method] with least measurable results.”

AdImpact, an ad tracker, reported that Ramaswamy’s campaign had invested $4.6 million in TV advertisements this year, but he ceased to spend on broadcast television through the holiday period.

Typically, when political campaigns suspend advertisements, it is a sign of trouble. Although Ramaswamy initially generated buzz as a little-known biotech entrepreneur, he struggled to sustain momentum after the first debate in Milwaukee. He entered the holiday season with polling averages in the mid-single digits in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Nevertheless, Ramaswamy maintains that he has a “legitimate shot at winning the Iowa caucus,” even though he trails behind prominent figures such as former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) and former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-South Carolina) in polls. The candidate emphasized that his campaign has adopted a targeted approach and employed tactics such as door knocking, digital and streaming ads and mail to engage non-traditional and first-time caucus-goers on January 15.

Ramaswamy pointed out that his opponents and their affiliated super PACs have spent substantial amounts on television advertising, despite failure to make significant gains in the polls. He argued that recent dynamics in the race have shown little correlation between television ad expenditures and campaign success.

While Ramaswamy’s decision to withdraw from television advertising made headlines, his rivals and their super PACs continued their spending spree.

The pro-Haley super PAC, SFA Fund, emerged as the biggest spender on TV ads and invested $13.6 million, while Haley’s campaign spent $6.2 million.

Trump’s campaign allocated $5.9 million, and DeSantis, who relied largely on supportive super PACs, spent $1.2 million. Although the embattled pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down scaled back its television ad presence, another pro-DeSantis group filled the void.

In response to the buzz centered around his campaign’s ad spending, Trump took to his social media platform TruthSocial, and predicted that Ramaswamy would endorse him. However, Ramaswamy clarified that he remains committed to his own campaign. He affirmed that if Trump becomes the nominee, he will offer his full endorsement, expecting the same in return.

Ramaswamy was in the news last month when Haley called him “scum” at the GOP presidential debate. Then, he was heard going to the bathroom while doing a live stream with Elon Musk.