Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) is planning to double the number of field offices it has in Iowa as it works to gin up support in the early voting state.
“Amy has now visited 68 of Iowa’s 99 counties and her poll numbers are RISING. But with exactly two months left until the first-in-the-nation state caucuses, it’s time to double down — with an emphasis on double,” the campaign said in a fundraising email to supporters Tuesday.
“We’ve set an ambitious goal of doubling our field offices in the Hawkeye State. And to do it, we need to raise $50,000 by midnight tonight.”
Klobuchar’s campaign confirmed to The Hill that it will be doubling its field offices in Iowa, up to 20. It currently has 60 staffers there, though that figure would also increase.
“Organizing is a critical part of succeeding in the Iowa caucuses. As more and more Iowans get to know Amy, we are seeing more folks commit to caucus for the candidate who can win back the Midwest and beat Donald Trump,” the campaign said.
Klobuchar has banked on a strong finish in the Hawkeye State, which will hold the nation’s first nominating contest on Feb. 3. The Minnesota Democrat hopes to boost her support in Iowa, where polling shows her in the mid-single digits, by underscoring her ability to win reelection by nearly 25 points in a neighboring state that President Trump failed to capture by less than 2 points.
The plan to expand Klobuchar’s infrastructure comes as other presidential campaigns are forced to reconsider how they allocate their resources among early primary and caucus states.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro laid off staffers in New Hampshire and South Carolina earlier this month to narrow his focus on Iowa and Nevada, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) also slashed her staff in the Granite State before ultimately dropping out of the race Tuesday.
Klobuchar raised just under $5 million in the third quarter of 2019 and has just over $3.5 million cash on hand, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. While those figures trailed those of her top-tier competitors, they were enough to keep Klobuchar in the race and helped her qualify for next month’s primary debate.
Klobuchar has enjoyed a rise in national attention after recent debates in which she worked to cast herself as a moderate alternative to more liberal candidates.