The super PAC supporting former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s presidential bid hits the airwaves Sept. 15 with a sustained four-month, “eight figure” advertising campaign, officials confirmed Sunday.
Right to Rise USA, which reported raising more than $100 million during the first six months of the year, will place ad buys Monday more than $10 million worth of advertising time in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, states which vote first, second, and third in the 2016 GOP primary.
The move, described as the first phase of the super PAC’s campaign to support Bush, coincides with a drop in the polls for the former two-term Florida governor. The Associated Press first reported the news.
“We believe Jeb Bush has the strongest record of conservative accomplishments in the race, and we plan to tell that story with a sustained and independent campaign,” Right to Rise USA spokesman Paul Lindsey said in an email exchange with the Washington Examiner.
The Right to Rise ads begin airing in Iowa and New Hampshire on Sept. 15, and in South Carolina a week later. The super PAC plans to stay on the air through December, and is likely to stay active beyond that as long as it has the resources to do so.
While traditional super PACs typically run negative ads that hit competitors of the candidates they are supporting, so that the candidates can stay positive and above the fray, Right to Rise USA plans to invest much of its resources in running positive spots that draw favorable comparisons between Bush and the rest of the crowded GOP field.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misrepresented the release date of the campaign ads. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.
