Ron DeSantis is the biggest 2024 spender so far as all candidates have splurged $250M combined on 340,000 TV ads, most of them in Iowa

Ron DeSantis is the biggest spender in the 2024 field – even outdoing former President Donald Trump by $9 million and President Joe Biden by $2 million.

The Florida governor has zoned-in on Iowa, spending nearly half of his total $46 million on television, digital and radio ads to persuade Republicans in the first-in-the-nation primary contest state to caucus for him.

Candidates and the Political Action Committees (PACs) backing them have so far already spent more than $250 million on ads with a year left until the election, according to a Financial Times analysis, which includes money out from candidates who already dropped out of the running.

While DeSantis has spent the most, he has also been the most targeted candidate of the 2024 cycle so far with his competitors and their affiliated entities spending $26.7 million on attack ads against him.

Biden is the second-most attacked candidate with $20.6 million against him and candidates have spent $18.7 million to go after Trump.

A vast majority of the ad spending has been focused on Iowa ahead of the January 15 caucuses.

So far $84.23 million has been pumped into the Hawkeye State from all candidates combined.

The second highest spending state is at $47.61 million in New Hampshire, which holds the second primary contest and the first elections of the primary season, followed by spending in South Carolina where candidates have spent just $6.6 million. 

More than half of spending in South Carolina, which is holding the fourth primary contest in February, was made by DeSantis and PACs backing him as they have already siphoned $3.7 million there.

While Georgia is not an early primary contest state, it is a key battleground state to clinching the nomination and the overall general election win. So far candidates have spent $6.07 million there – even though the Peach State primary isn't until May 21, 2024.

DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are often-times tied for second in Iowa – a significant distance behind frontrunner Trump.

But Haley's $16.4 million spending in Iowa is far dwarfed by DeSantis' $20.6 million in the state.

While the Florida governor has spent the most of anyone in the 2024 race, President Biden is in second with ad spends of $44 million and in third is Trump with $37 million.

Haley comes in fourth with $32 million and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott with $24 million before he dropped out of the race after the third Republican primary debate in Miami, Florida earlier this month.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a billionaire, has spent $20 million on TV, radio and digital ads.

After that, the spending severely drops off with the remaining candidates.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, while a millionaire, has only spent $8 million on ads, even though he consistently polls among the top four GOP candidates with Trump, DeSantis and Haley.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has spent just $4 million, a likely result of the fact that he has focused nearly none of his campaign on appealing to voters in Iowa – not stepping foot in the state once since launching his bid.

It's no surprise that Republican spending has far outsized Democrat spending as Biden is almost certainly the nominee on his side while the GOP holds a competitive primary – though not too competitive with Trump with a major lead.