The Opportunity and Freedom PAC, an independent-expenditure-only political action committee (IEOPAC) created to support U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in his presidential bid, has pulled the plug on its television ad campaign. This comes as sen. Scott’s campaign has struggled to gain momentum among Republican primary voters, and in the polls.
The Opportunity and Freedom PAC had committed to a $1million ad-buy in the early primary states of Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, according to Politico. Ads were planned to start airing two weeks before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.
The PAC was formed in early October of last year by eight Republican donors, who put up an initial $2.1 million investment. It was designed to support Sen. Scott’s candidacy with TV ads, digital advertisements, mailers, and phone banking.
Sen. Scott has yet to break 5% in any state-level primary poll, prompting some to question the value of spending millions of dollars in support of a campaign that is already trailing other Republican candidates. The senator has said that he’s not worried about the lack of polling support.
Despite the ad-pull, the Opportunity and Freedom PAC has said that it will continue to support the senator’s presidential bid in other ways. It has not disclosed what specific tactics it will employ.
In an email to Politico, the PAC said, “We are deeply proud of the work that we have done in support of Sen. Tim Scott’s campaign and remain committed to seeing his candidacy through to the end.”
Sen. Scott’s campaign has not commented on the decision to pull the ads.
