A spokesperson for Tom Steyer’s presidential campaign said on Wednesday that top aides are “confident” in the Democrat’s chances in the Nevada caucuses as he looks to gain momentum in more diverse states in the coming weeks.
Patrice Snow admitted that New Hampshire’s primary was always going to be a difficult lift after the billionaire philanthropist posted only 3.6 percent support there on Tuesday. However, she said the campaign is looking toward strong performances in Nevada and South Carolina, states with heavy Hispanic and African American populations.
“New Hampshire was going to be a challenging state for Tom anyway, we knew that going in. We’re focused now on the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22 and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29,” she said on Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
“We know that in order to defeat Donald Trump in November we have to build a broad, diverse coalition, and when you have two states that have a 98 percent white population, Tom’s message just wasn’t going to resonate there. So we’re looking ahead to South Carolina to Nevada and to Super Tuesday.”
Steyer, who is largely self-funding his campaign, has invested heavily in ginning up support among Hispanic and black voters with an advertising blitz and an expansive campaign staff made up largely of residents of his target states.
Snow said those efforts can pay off in both Nevada and South Carolina, where top-tier finishes could help propel his campaign.
“He’s hired local people in their communities. Most of the people who work in Nevada live in Nevada, were born within 10 miles of where they work and where they live,” Snow said, adding that similar efforts were made in South Carolina. “So we’re reaching those people, they’re going out to their friends and their family and they’re talking about Tom, talking his message of how he knows how to bring Donald Trump down.”
“He’s going to make it happen in Nevada. I’m confident of that.”
While polling shows Steyer in fourth place in Nevada, surveys suggest he may be in a stronger position in South Carolina, where recent polls have him trailing only former Vice President Joe Biden.
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