Tim Scott goes ‘all in’ on Iowa, following DeSantis’s lead

Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) presidential campaign announced Monday it would be rerouting resources to Iowa to focus on the Republican caucuses in January.

The campaign said it sees a “wide open evangelical lane” in the Hawkeye State. Scott has made his Christian faith a center point of his 2024 bid.

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The move will include Scott’s Iowa staff doubling, in addition to the opening of an Iowa headquarters in West Des Moines. Further, Scott has committed to being in Iowa weekly after the third Republican debate on Nov. 8, up until the caucuses. Such changes involve the shifting of resources from New Hampshire to Iowa.

According to his campaign, it still has $1.6 million in reserved television advertising in Iowa. The transition of other staff and resources will take place over the next few weeks.

“Tim Scott is all in on Iowa,” campaign manager Jennifer DeCasper said. “As the candidate with the highest net favorables, Tim Scott is best positioned to compete on caucus day. No candidate other than Tim Scott has the resources, the foundation of support, and the message to be successful in the Hawkeye State. We’re all in on Iowa as an important first step on the road to winning the nomination.”

Scott’s decision to focus on Iowa follows the same decision Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) campaign announced earlier this month. The Florida governor’s team made the pivot to zero in on Iowa, relocating a third of its entire staff to the state, effectively making it a second headquarters. “About a third of our Tallahassee headquarters staff will be deploying to Iowa in the weeks ahead,” deputy campaign manager David Polyansky said at the time. “While the campaign will still have a strong presence in Tallahassee, we are redeploying many of our assets so we can further take the fight directly to Donald Trump in Iowa.”

Both candidates have seen a decline in their polling numbers, although DeSantis remains in second place to former President Donald Trump in most polls, while Scott fails to break into double digits.

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After Scott failed to impress viewers during the first two Republican primary debates — while his South Carolina counterpart, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, exceeded expectations — his momentum stalled. In contrast, Haley saw a boost in her polling stature in several measures despite remaining relatively stagnant since her campaign announcement.

Recently, Scott’s super PAC, Trust in the Mission PAC, told donors it was canceling a $40 million fall ad reservation, which had originally been touted as evidence of his commitment to stick out the entirety of the campaign season. “We aren’t going to waste our money when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative,” Co-Chairman Rob Collins said of the move.