Outside political advocacy groups spent $85.2 million supporting Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, leading to the former South Carolina governor securing merely 89 of the 2,429 available Republican primary delegates before her withdrawal on Wednesday — a total cost of over $957,300 per delegate.
Among Haley’s largest benefactors were Yes for America Action and Americans for Prosperity Action, who — along with Haley’s campaign committee — collectively spent around $120 million during this election cycle. The former South Carolina governor spent approximately $1.3 million for each delegate secured — three times greater than the median US home price.
Spending by these groups in the Republican presidential primary overwhelmingly went to Haley compared to Trump and DeSantis, with a bulk of the money being dropped in early primary states. Pro-Haley groups spent $40 million in Iowa — the inaugural state to hold a primary election — where Haley only managed a distant third place.
These groups spent a further $31 million and $8 million backing Haley’s campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina, respectively. However, she failed to secure victory in either state. By the time Super Tuesday arrived — the Republican primary’s most significant day — outside financial backing for Haley had dwindled, with third-party groups spending less than a million dollars backing Haley across the 15 states holding primaries.
FEC records show that SFA Fund, Haley’s primary Super PAC, disbursed over $51.5 million on efforts to gain traction in the primary. Meanwhile, Americans For Prosperity Action spent more than $31.2 million supporting Haley. The Charles Koch-backed group discontinued its financial backing after Haley’s loss in the February 24 South Carolina primary.
