Dem
51
GOP
49
Yesterday, Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential "campaign" made a big announcement: It is going to stop running TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. Instead, it will "follow the data" and invest in other kinds of advertising.
When Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) made this same announcement, it was the beginning of the end for him, and he was out of the race within a couple of weeks. The same is true of Mike Pence. It is true that TV advertising isn't as useful as it once was. But it's also true that TV advertising is relatively cheap in both states, and that with such intense competition for a small number of votes, every opportunity to do some messaging matters.
Meanwhile, if "follow the data" was actually a shrewd strategy, and not a euphemism for "we're starting to pack up shop," then surely the Silicon Valley guy, of all candidates, would have figured it out before burning through millions of dollars that largely came from his own pocket. And actually, if "follow the data" was the plan, then the data says that Ramaswamy has no hope of competing for the Republican nomination, and that he should drop out yesterday.
Ramaswamy has his tiny number of fans, and the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary are not too far off, so maybe he'll hang on until they're over and then drop out. That said, once the money begins to run out, it gets very difficult for candidates to drag themselves out of bed every day at 5:00 a.m. for a day of speeches to dinky crowds, sampling corn fritters at Mom's Diner, and media hits on third-tier right-wing networks. So, Ramaswamy might just throw in the towel before any votes are cast. Either way, he's cooked, and now the whole world knows it. (Z)