Christie Super PAC Reserves First Airtime in South Carolina

The super PAC backing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is making its first television ad reservations in South Carolina for the week leading up to the state’s primary.

The group, America Leads, is reserving six-figures in spending in the state, which is third in the nominating calendar after Iowa and New Hampshire, spokesman Tucker Martin said Monday. The reservation, which Martin characterized as an “initial buy,” is a bet that Christie will emerge from New Hampshire with momentum to compete in the southern state.

“This is part of our effort to begin looking at the playing field post-Iowa and New Hampshire,” Martin said in a statement. “It is very clear Governor Christie has significant momentum in this race. The more voters see him and hear from him, the better he does. Our job has always been to help make that happen. We look forward to continuing to do that all across the country as this campaign enters the voting stage.”

The ad reservation from Feb. 11 to primary day, Feb. 20, in the Charleston, Columbia, and Myrtle Beach media-markets—among the state’s more moderate areas—skirting the conservative western part of the state, where Christie is unlikely to fare as well.