Senator Tim Scott is heavily focused on the Iowa caucuses as he faces challenges in gaining momentum nationally among Republicans.
In an effort to strengthen his campaign, Scott’s team has decided to shift resources from New Hampshire to Iowa. They will be doubling their staff in Iowa and establishing new headquarters in West Des Moines. Additionally, they plan to increase their spending on advertising leading up to the first-in-the-nation caucus on January 15th.
“Tim Scott is fully committed to Iowa,” stated campaign manager Jen DeCasper on Monday. “No other candidate possesses the resources, support base, and compelling message required to achieve success in the Hawkeye State.”
The campaign’s renewed focus on Iowa was first reported by The Des Moines Register.
As part of their revised strategy, Scott, who hails from South Carolina, will be visiting Iowa every week in the run-up to the caucuses. He is currently concluding a five-day tour of the state.
However, this shift in focus also reflects the challenges facing Scott’s campaign. His polling numbers have stagnated both in early-state and national polls. Furthermore, the main super PAC supporting him recently canceled its scheduled fall ad buy, and doubts persist about his ability to meet the polling threshold required to qualify for the next Republican primary debate.
According to a new national poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University, Scott is currently tied for fourth place with Vivek Ramaswamy, accruing nearly 3% support among Republican respondents.
“We are staking our claim right here in the great state of Iowa first; it will propel our momentum wherever we go next,” Scott proclaimed at a campaign event in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Scott believes that his message resonates particularly well in Iowa, and he is confident that his faith-based approach will lead him to victory in the state.
Building momentum among persuadable evangelical voters in Iowa presents a promising opportunity for Scott’s campaign to demonstrate the viability of his White House bid. In a recent meeting with donors in Dallas, senior campaign officials emphasized that the “evangelical lane in Iowa is unoccupied” and positioned Scott as the best candidate to appeal to this group based on his high net favorability rating.
According to an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, Scott was ranked second only to former President Donald Trump in favorability among likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa. However, Scott’s unfavorable numbers were only half of Trump’s.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
