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The primary super PACs supporting former President Donald Trump and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis have each spent more than $10 million as their aligned candidates accelerate their fight for the GOP presidential nomination.
Never Back Down, the pro-DeSantis PAC, has spent about $10.7 million since the start of the year, primarily on television ads, per data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. More than half that spending has been on national advertising, with the rest of the spending focused on states that hold early presidential nominating contests: $1.7 million in Iowa, $1.3 million in New Hampshire and $575,000 in Nevada.
MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump PAC, has spent far more of its money this year on national advertising: $8.4 million of the $10.1 million it's spent so far. The group has also spent a little shy of $1 million in Iowa and $660,000 in New Hampshire.
Trump's campaign and his joint fundraising committee have spent about $1.2 million on ads too, while DeSantis hasn't yet officially announced a presidential bid but is expected to do so in the coming weeks.
Never Back Done has largely spent on television ads touting DeSantis' record and biography, but also a bit to criticize Trump too.
MAGA Inc., on the other hand, has aired television ads that almost exclusively criticize DeSantis.
On the other side of the aisle, President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee has spent more than $3.6 million on ads since Biden announced he was running for re-election late last month.
Overall, there's been more than $30 million spent on presidential advertising this year.
