Tim Scott downplays fourth place finish in new Iowa poll

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) pushed back against a disappointing fourth place finish in a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll released Monday, claiming the Hawkeye State was still in play roughly 2 1/2 months before its make-or-break caucuses.

Former President Donald Trump continued to steamroll his 2024 rivals, garnering 43% of support from Republican caucusgoers, a 27 percentage point advantage over both Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who were tied at 16%.

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The South Carolina senator garnered 7% support, putting him in fourth place. When conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt questioned Scott about the results, he sounded calm.

“Well, it’s one of the reasons why we’re heading to Iowa and staying there consistently, because we realize that historically speaking, Iowa voters, they break late in the cycle, and that’s great news, having an opportunity for us to continue to share our message,” Scott said.

Last week, the senator’s campaign announced it was relocating staffers to Iowa, opening an Iowa headquarters in West Des Moines, and committing Scott to visiting Iowa weekly ahead of the Iowa caucuses. The moves follow DeSantis’s strategy of heavily investing in the Hawkeye State as the key to dethroning Trump in the GOP primary.

Scott claimed that historically, presidential candidates leading in Iowa polls have not gone on to win the caucuses in his rebuttal to Hewitt during their Monday interview.

“And also, we have to remember historically, 2011, 2015, it was Herman Cain and Ben Carson were leading in the Des Moines Register polls,” Scott continued. “So we are excited about where we are. We have made the decision that it’s Iowa or bust for us, and I’m looking forward to being there.”

During the 2012 Iowa caucus, it was Rick Santorum, not Cain, who ended up being declared the winner, and even then it was Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) who became the eventual GOP presidential nominee. In 2016, it was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who won the Iowa caucus, but it was Trump who would go on to become the GOP standard-bearer.

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Still, Scott didn’t answer when Hewitt pressed if he would drop out of the race if he didn’t finish in first or second place during next year’s caucus.

“You know, Hugh, I’m not going to make any predictions other than that we will be in the top two in Iowa without any question,” he replied.