(Bloomberg) -- Falling in the polls, Kamala Harris is changing strategy and making a big bet on the Iowa caucuses, committing time and resources to the first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential contest that has catapulted underdogs to victory in the past.
She plans to double the size of her Iowa ground operation from 65 to about 120, Harris campaign manager Juan Rodriguez told reporters on Thursday, adding that it would be “all new — we’re not redirecting staff from other states.”
“We want to make sure we have a strong top-three finish,” said Rodriguez, arguing that the Feb. 3 caucuses would give her a “slingshot” into the next contests in New Hampshire and particularly into South Carolina and Super Tuesday, which includes her home state of California and will make or break her candidacy.
Harris communications director Lily Adams said the “commitment of time and resources” in Iowa “reflect our belief that she can compete to win” the nomination.
“We’re planning to hit the gas here in October,” Adams said. “Expect to see Kamala in the state every week.”
After a strong first debate performance in June, Harris rose to second place in several surveys, but she has since lost nearly two-thirds of that support and now polls between 5% and 7%, battling for fourth place with Pete Buttigieg behind Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
‘Sugar High’
Adams dismissed the polls after the second debate as a “sugar high” and said the polls will continue to be “bouncy” in the weeks and months to come.
“There is a lot of speed-dating that’s still happening among these voters,” Rodriguez said.
Unlike the top three contenders, Harris has struggled to convey a clear and crisp rationale to her candidacy, leaving many to wonder what kind of president she’d be. Her message has featured a blend of revolutionary change, such as abolishing the Senate filibuster to pass a Green New Deal, and pragmatic incrementalism reflected in her “3 a.m. agenda” to focus on what keeps people up at night.
Adams, who worked on Hillary Clinton’s successful 2016 Iowa operation, said the state “has been a proving ground for candidates” and noted that Barack Obama was polling behind the front-runners there in 2008 before he ultimately won.
She said Harris won’t try to win by tearing down other Democrats, despite her getting the bump during the summer by attacking Biden for his stance on school busing in the 1970s.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR