A super political action committee dedicated to defeating Donald Trump is shifting resources to pummel the New York celebrity businessman in New Hampshire, just days before the state holds its primary.
Our Principles PAC told the Washington Examiner late Tuesday that television, digital and direct-mail ads would begin appearing in the Granite State within 48 hours, roughly five days in advance of the Republican presidential primary there. The super PAC had originally planned to shift from Iowa directly to South Carolina, the third state to vote.
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But after determining that its $2.5 million advertising campaign was effective in helping to derail Trump in Iowa, Our Principles PAC organizers decided to head directly to New Hampshire. Trump led the last several public opinion polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, but ended up finishing second, and just one percentage point out of third.
“We don’t want to let up on this guy,” said Republican operative Katie Packer, who formed Our Principles PAC and runs it day to day. Packer is a veteran of Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Packer declined to reveal the super PAC’s budget for New Hampshire and South Carolina. But she said the group’s success in Iowa has spurred additional interest from Republican donors interested in preventing Trump from capturing the GOP nomination. The billionaire real estate mogul and reality television star has led most state and national polls for months.
He sits at 33.4 percent in the Granite State, more than 20 points ahead of his nearest competitors, according to an average of recent polls.
Despite holding frontrunner status for seven months heading into Monday evening’s Iowa caucuses, few resources were invested against Trump — either by other candidates and their supportive super PACs, or any other entities — prior to Our Principles PAC getting involved in the race on Jan. 21. About five days later, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who won Iowa, and one of his super PACs also joined the fight against Trump on the air.
Packer said she is confident that her group helped contribute to Trump’s fall from 28.6 percent in the final RealClearPolitics.com average of Iowa polls, to his 24 percent finish. That was just one percentage point ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who surged six points to 23 percent in Monday’s voting. The Our Principles PAC advertising focused on detailing Trump’s liberal positions on fiscal and social issues, some of which he has abandoned in recent years.
The group’s spots also highlighted Trump’s close support for, and close ties to, top Democrats, like presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President Obama.
In a memo, the super PAC said that it aired four separate television ads in Iowa; that it’s website, TrumpQuestions.com, has received more than 500,000 views; and that it dropped six unique direct-mail pitches, and 350,000 total pieces of mail in Iowa. Additionally, a voter guide was sent to 90,000 likely caucus-goers; robocalls were placed to 284,000 targeted households; and the group’s digital ads generated more than 3 million impressions, 80,000 actions and 400,000 video views on Facebook.
Packer said to expect more of the same in New Hampshire.
“When somebody still has some life in them, you don’t turn your back, you finish them off,” she said.
