In It to Win It: Trump Announces Major Ad Buys in Early Primary States

One of the most remarkable aspects of Donald Trump’s campaign for president is that thus far he has spent little or nothing to get his poll numbers soaring. Every other candidate has spent millions, but not The Donald, who has received all the free media coverage he could hope for, and then some. As he wrote on Twitter yesterday:

So, I have spent almost nothing on my run for president and am in 1st place. Jeb Bush has spent $59 million & done. Run country my way!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2015

That’s about to change however. The billionaire businessman also tweeted yesterday that he’s set to spend big in the three early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina:

My campaign for president is $35,000,000 under budget, I have spent very little (and am in 1st place).Now I will spend big in Iowa/N.H./S.C.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2015

If Trump wishes, he has the finances to flood the airwaves in those three states. And he may just want to do that: he has a shot at winning all three of them, which would basically mean the primary season will be over before the majority of states even vote. He and his advisers are aware of that too, which is why they’ll go all in.

The real question is whether Trump will attack his rivals, blow his own horn, or both. And if he attacks others, whom will he target? He could go after Ted Cruz, but Cruz has one of the most solidly conservative voting records in the field. Will he come out swinging at Cruz from the left? That’ll only hurt Trump himself; it won’t do anything to diminish his foremost rival.

Far more likely, Trump will take aim at Marco Rubio, whom he can hit hard on immigration. That would bolster his own tough-on-immigration stance, while hitting Rubio right in his weakest spot. The result: Cruz wins Iowa but Trump wins New Hampshire, which he’s on track do if current polls hold up. After that Trump and Cruz go head to head in South Carolina, where Trump currently leads Cruz by a commanding 14 percentage points.