TROY, Mich. – Michigan millionaire and failed candidate for governor, Perry Johnson, is setting his sights on the White House and is running advertisements during the Super Bowl to get the campaign started.
Johnson is running nearly $200,000 worth of ads during the Super Bowl in three Iowa TV markets.
In an interview on Friday, Feb. 10, Johnson took aim at the Democratic party’s decision to move their first primary to South Carolina. Republicans have said they will keep Iowa as their party’s first caucus.
“We know the Democrats have kind of given the middle finger to Iowa, but we know, for the Republicans, that’s where everything starts,” Johnson said. “That’s the beginning of the Republican caucuses and I’m going to start everything there.”
Johnson, who made his name as a self-styled “quality guru,” was disqualified from running for governor last year after it was discovered his campaign had filed forged signatures to make the ballot. He also began that campaign with ads during the 2022 Super Bowl.
He said he’s not worried about the disqualification following him into the presidential campaign. “No, not really. As a matter of fact, in reality, the candidates have very little to do with any of this, you hire a consultant, they go out and they get the petitioners,” Johnson said.
Then there’s the expected field of candidates in a GOP primary -- former Governor Nikki Haley has said she’s running; Florida Governor Ron Desantis is expected to announce soon; and of course, former President Donald Trump. Each are some of the biggest names among Republican voters that Johnson would have to outmaneuver and outspend.
He spent $7 million on his failed gubernatorial campaign which lasted just three months. The Trump campaign spent more than $700 million in 2020, more than seven times Johnson’s estimated net worth. Despite that, Johnson thinks he has an edge.
“I think I’m the only one that does have a plan,” Johnson said. “Do they have a plan to solve this problem? My two cents to save America gives you a detailed plan of exactly what we’re going to do to get back on track.”
Johnson will also be running ads in New Hampshire through the end of February, so far making him the leader in spending for the 2024 presidential race.
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