Pro-Haley super PAC in new ad says DeSantis 'tried to court China' as governor

A super PAC backing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's bid for the GOP presidential nomination is going after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the issue of China in the closing days before the Iowa caucuses.

The new ad hammers DeSantis for describing China as Florida's most important trading partner and for the expansion of a Chinese-owned U.S. subsidiary near a U.S. military base in the state.

"DeSantis called China 'Florida's most important trading partner,'" the voiceover says at the start, before noting the openings of two new Cirrus Aircraft locations.

"Nikki Haley's ad is full of debunked lies about Ron DeSantis' record and reeks of desperation to distract from her own disastrous pro-China record," DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin said in a statement responding to the ad. "She invited China to her state, gave away land, and even stood in front of the Chinese flag and said 'I now work for you.'"

DeSantis and Haley are in a dogfight for second place in Iowa. DeSantis has a lead of nearly 1 percentage point in The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill aggregate of polls. Both are far behind former President Trump.

In New Hampshire, Haley is in second place in the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill aggregate, well ahead of DeSantis but trailing Trump by double digits.

Haley and DeSantis have repeatedly battled over the issue of China.

The two clashed on the issue in November during the third GOP presidential debate.

DeSantis has criticized Haley for cozying up to China when she served as South Carolina's governor.

DeSantis's team posted a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in December with the caption, “Aside from Hillary Clinton, has there ever been a phonier politician than Tricky Nikki?”

“Ron DeSantis is desperately recycling lies that have been debunked by fact checkers because he’s losing in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina,” a Haley campaign spokesperson told The Hill at the time. “It’s clear this is a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. DeSantis is just desperate for attention.”

Both DeSantis and Haley are scheduled to take part in separate Iowa town hall events that will air live on CNN on Thursday.

This story was updated at 1:47 p.m.