Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential campaign has ceased spending on television advertising ahead of next month's Republican presidential contests, NBC News reported Tuesday.
The Republican biotech entrepreneur's campaign reduced TV ad spending from $200,000 during the first week of December to $6,000 last week, according to AdImpact, a website that tracks advertising spending, NBC reported.
Ramaswamy was polling in third place among Republican candidates going into the fall but dipped significantly following this fall's series of debates and has recently been ranking behind former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and just about even with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in an ever-shrinking field.
Ramaswamy's campaign had announced an $8 million ad buy in November in Iowa and New Hampshire to reverse his decline. Ramaswamy on Tuesday downplayed the significance of television advertising and teased a "big surprise" Jan. 15, the date of the season-opening Iowa Caucuses.
"Presidential TV ad spending is idiotic, low-ROI & a trick that political consultants use to bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ," Ramaswamy said on X on Tuesday in response to the news report. "We’re doing it differently. Spending $$ in a way that follows data…apparently a crazy idea in US politics."
