Super PAC supporting Tim Scott pulls back on ad buys: report

A super PAC supporting Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) 2024 presidential campaign told donors that it would be pulling its fall ads, in a memo obtained by The Washington Post.

In the memo reported Monday, Trust in the Mission PAC Co-Chair Rob Collins told donors that the group would still support other fundraising methods for Scott but that investing in mass media is not worth the expense at this time.

“We aren’t going to waste our money when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative,” Collins wrote in the memo, the Post reported.

“We have done the research. We have studied the focus groups. We have been following Tim on the trail. This electorate is locked up and money spent on mass media isn’t going to change minds until we get a lot closer to voting,” the memo continued.

Collins said in the memo that the Trust in the Mission PAC will still “fully fund our grassroots door knocking, conduit fundraising, event hosting, and earned media efforts.”

The memo comes as Scott has yet to see the boost in the polling that could make him a viable contender to the runaway frontrunner in the race, former President Trump.  

Scott reported raising close to $6 million between his political committees, according to the third-quarter filings – just short of the $15 million Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) reported raising in the third quarter and the more than $11 million former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley reported raising in the third quarter. 

Still, Scott has the most primary cash on hand outside of Trump – with $11.6 million available for him to use during the primary, compared to DeSantis’s $5 million and Haley’s $9.1 million.

Scott’s campaign defended Scott’s standing in the race, in response to reporting on the super PAC’s memo. 

“From Day One, Tim’s campaign was built for the long haul — powered by the most primary cash on hand and the highest candidate favorability of anyone in the field,” his campaign said in a statement to The Hill.

“On issues ranging from Israel to abortion, he has been the clearest and strongest voice, leading while others have followed. We’re ready, as ever, to take our message into the early states and beyond,” the campaign statement continued.