Campaign Almanac: Haley and DeSantis PACs trade barbs, dueling ads as GOP rivalry grows

The super PACs backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley have released dueling ads in Iowa and New Hampshire in a growing foreign policy feud between the 2024 Republic presidential rivals as the race for a distant second place behind GOP primary front-runner and former President Donald Trump intensifies.

Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis' presidential run, began airing a TV ad over the weekend running on broadcast statewide in Iowa and in New Hampshire slamming Haley for bringing Chinese businesses into South Carolina when she served as governor of the Palmetto State.

The ad references China Jushi, a global manufacturer and promoter of fiberglass products, which invested $300 million in 2016 to build its first U.S. plant on 200 acres in Columbia, S.C., and brought in at least 400 jobs, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

The ad refers to China Jushi as a "Communist Party-owned high tech company" and notes the proximity of its plant to a U.S. Army training center.

China Jushi is partially owned by a Chinese government enterprise whose leadership has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese capital investment in South Carolina more than doubled from $308 million in 2011 when Haley took over as governor to nearly $669 million in 2015, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

The ad features a clip of Haley touting that Chinese firms "wanna do business in South Carolina." It also shows a clip of Haley from a 2017 CBS News interview about China signing on to U.S. sanctions on North Korea, saying China is "really in good faith doing quite a bit. They are a really great friend of ours.“

As a presidential candidate, Haley has called China the "number one biggest national security threat." On the campaign trail, she has said she would take back U.S. soil China had already purchased, and would revoke normal trade relations with China until it halts the flow of fentanyl that has contributed to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths in the United States.

China is a major producer of the chemicals that are required to create fentanyl, which is frequently smuggled over the U.S.-Mexico border.

The super PAC supporting Haley’s bid for the White House, Stand For America, Inc., has made her hawkish stance on China a centerpiece in multiple ads.

In May, DeSantis signed a ban in Florida on Chinese nationals from purchasing farmland and land near U.S. military bases and a ban of TikTok and WeChat, Chinese-owned social media apps, on government devices. In September, he directed the state's department of education to revoke school choice scholarships from four schools, claiming they had "direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party."

Asked about the Chinese land acquisitions during a town hall Friday in Cedar Rapids, Haley defended her record and noted that it’s not uncommon for governors to seek and tout foreign investments that create new jobs and bolster the state's workforce.

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“There is not another governor in this race that hasn’t worked to recruit Chinese companies, Ron DeSantis included,” Haley said.

Aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Aircraft Ltd. added two training centers in central Florida in 2022. The company is owned by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, a company sanctioned by the United States.

“Yes, we recruited fiberglass companies. Yes, we recruited other companies. And that’s what we did to bring jobs,” Haley said in Cedar Rapids. “Every governor in this country has done the same thing, just as everyone of you has Chinese products in your home. The difference is now we know exactly what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and what we need to do to stop it. … What I’m talking about now is how we deal with (China) today, because that’s what matters.”

Haley PAC slams DeSantis over Gaza refugee remarks

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SFA Fund, the super PAC supporting Haley’s campaign, released its own ad slamming DeSantis for “throwing mud” at Haley and mischaracterizing her stance on admitting Gaza refugees into the United States.

Haley repeatedly has refuted DeSantis' claim of her support for accepting Gaza refugees, noting numerous media outlets (CNN, National Review, Semafor, Newsmax and others) have fact checked the claim and found it inaccurately depicts a comment Haley made during a recent interview with CNN host Jake Tapper.

“Nikki Haley opposes the U.S. taking in Gazans. She thinks Hamas-supporting countries like Iran, Qatar, and Turkey should take any refugees,” Haley campaign spokesperson Ken Farnaso said.

As governor, Haley fought against efforts to settle Syrian refugees in South Carolina in the wake of 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. As UN. Ambassador, Haley defended the Trump administration’s ban on allowing Syrian refugees displaced due to the country’s civil war into the United States, and clashed with State Department officials over her push to slash funding for the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency.

Haley told more than 100 potential caucusgoers at The Avacentre in Cedar Rapids on Friday that she previously warned world leaders about Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, and its plans to cross over into Israel and "kill as many Jews as they possible could in the shortest amount of time.“

Haley delivered a speech to the U.N. five years ago about Hamas' maps that listed the first Israeli communities they “could go and hit” once the group got past Israel's Gaza border fence — a warning, she added, that has now come to fruition.

Haley’s campaign on Friday released a video labeling DeSantis “desperate” for attacking her. When asked about her stance on accepting Palestinian refugees during a town hall in Pella on Saturday, Haley used the opportunity to take a dig at DeSantis, The Des Moines Register reported.

“God bless Ron DeSantis, because he continues to try and bring up this refugee situation,” Haley said. “ … He can keep doing it, but that’s what happens when a campaign starts to spiral out.”

DeSantis picks up endorsement from Iowa lawmaker

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Never Back Down announced Iowa state Rep. Tom Jeneary, a Republican from Le Mars, has become the 41st Iowa legislator to endorse DeSantis for president.

“Governor DeSantis has led with conviction and strength on every issue from Israel to fighting COVID lockdowns and beyond,” Jeneary said in a statement released by the pro-DeSantis super PAC. “Here in Iowa, he’s been able to meet Iowans in 80 counties, including a visit to Le Mars, and he’s earned my support.”

Iowa City teachers endorse school board candidates

The Iowa City Education Association, which represents more than 700 teachers and paraeducators working in the Iowa City Community School District, recently announced its endorsement of Molly Abraham, Charlie Eastham, Mitch Lingo and Lisa Williams in the Nov. 7 school board election.

“Our endorsed candidates are talented community members who have demonstrated their rock-solid support for students and staff as well as an unwavering commitment to public schools,” association President Brady Shutt said in a statement. “At a time when public schools are facing considerable challenges, ICEA is confident that our endorsed candidates are the best leaders for our district because of their commitment to the strong, collaborative partnerships that are the foundation for our collective success.”

The endorsed candidates completed questionnaires and interviews with the ICEA Executive Board and Building Representative Council.

Candidate responses to the ICEA questionnaire can be found at the Iowa City Education Association’s website in the News, Calendars, Updates section.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau