Buttigieg releases digital ad in three early states

White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday released a paid digital ad in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada as he works to gin up support in the crucial early primary and caucus states.
The 30-second spot, titled “Light the Way,” will run on social media platforms, YouTube and Hulu in the three states. The ad features footage from a recent rally in Nevada in which more than 800 attendees lit the stage with their cellphones after a power outage.
“Even in dark times. Together, we can light the way to a better future,” text in the ad reads over the footage.
{mosads}The Buttigieg campaign declined to clarify how much money went into producing and distributing the ad, only saying it was a “substantial” buy across all three states and noting that similar ads usually run for about a week.
The ad comes as the South Bend, Ind., mayor seeks to expand support for his campaign after seeing his poll numbers stagnate in the middle tier of most national and statewide surveys. His campaign did, however, collect more than $19 million in donations in the third quarter of 2019, the third-highest haul of any presidential contender.
He is currently in fourth place in the RealClearPolitics polling index, trailing the front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, by just more than 20 points.
Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada will host the first three nominating contests in the Democratic presidential primary throughout February, with many candidates hoping strong finishes in the states could propel them in later primaries.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.