Nikki Haley’s campaign announced on Saturday that it is making a $4 million buy for television, radio and digital advertising in South Carolina that will begin the day after the New Hampshire primary, as she seeks a one-on-one contest with Donald J. Trump.
The reservation, which was announced by Ms. Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, at an event sponsored by Bloomberg News, will span all seven media markets in the state. It was presented as an indication of her intention to stay in the race regardless of the outcome on Tuesday.
“I know everyone wants us to put a number on it,” Ms. Ankney said of how she would need perform. “We have never done that. We will never do that.”
Ms. Haley has campaigned aggressively New Hampshire, the state where she has polled strongest against Mr. Trump, though she still trails the former president by double digits in polling averages. Ms. Ankney repeatedly declined to describe what she would consider a strong showing in New Hampshire, other than saying Ms. Haley needed to show “incremental progress” against Mr. Trump.
“There is no specific benchmarks on what we need to do or not do,” she said.
Ms. Ankney, echoing Ms. Haley, presented the race as a choice between a Biden-Trump rematch “with two 80-year-old men” or a next generation nominee, though she acknowledged the road ahead is steep.
“Beating Donald Trump is not easy,” Ms. Ankney said. “He is a juggernaut. But how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
