A wealthy Democratic candidate polling at less than 1% plans to air 30-minute TV infomercials across Iowa in a wild effort to turn around his struggling campaign

Advertisement
A wealthy Democratic candidate polling at less than 1% plans to air 30-minute TV infomercials across Iowa in a wild effort to turn around his struggling campaign

John Delaney, Iowa

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Democratic presidential candidate former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland,at the end of a campaign speech in Des Moines, Iowa.

Advertisement
  • Former Rep. John Delaney, who is polling under 1% in the Democratic primary race despite declaring his candidacy in July 2017 and spent most of his time in Iowa, is making another wild bet.
  • His campaign is set to buy airtime for a 30-minute infomercial that will broadcast across the state, the Des Moines Register first reported.
  • Delaney's struggling campaign is hoping the $40,000 ad buy could help reverse its political fortunes and widen the reach of their message.
  • However, its far from clear whether the infomercial will help make up the gap between Delaney and the frontrunners in fundraising and support.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Most Democratic presidential candidates bet on a victory or a strong showing in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses to ride that momentum into subsequent primary states. Voters there expect any presidential hopeful to visit early and often.

Former Rep. John Delaney, who according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls is garnering under 1% support in national polls is making a wild bet to raise his profile in Iowa. His campaign, which was the first Democratic campaign when it kicked off in July 2017, is set to buy airtime for a 30-minute infomercial that will broadcast across the state, the Des Moines Register first reported.

Delaney's struggling campaign is hoping the $40,000 ad buy could help reverse its political fortunes and widen the reach of their message rooted in pragmatic idealism.

"Our campaign hasn't ever been about sound bites, so we're excited to be the first this cycle to offer a long-form program that goes in-depth with solutions and not just empty promises," Delaney said in a press release sent to the Register.

Advertisement

The infomercial is set to air on Sunday between 10:30am and 4:30pm in Des Moines and other cities across the state, the Register reported. The campaign plans to rerun the infomercial up until the state's caucuses in February.

However, its far from clear whether the infomercial will help make up the huge gap between Delaney and the frontrunners in fundraising and support. Despite being "all in" on Iowa, the former Maryland congressman has found it difficult to resonate in the state. According to the RealClearPolitics average, Delaney is polling at 0% in Iowa.

Delaney has relied on his own money to bankroll much of his campaign, loaning it roughly $19.5 million across the first two quarters, according to Politico. Financial disclosure forms from his time in Congress showed Delaney, who founded a commercial lending business before joining Congress, had a net worth of $232 million.

Tougher qualifying thresholds have also meant Delaney has failed to qualify for every primary debate since July.

Numerous polls that RealClearPolitics has collected show that South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are in a virtual tie for the lead in the state with an average of roughly 20% apiece, closely followed by former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders with 17% and 16%, respectively.

Advertisement
{{}}