Jeb Bush's campaign is drastically shifting its financial resources by cancelling its Iowa television advertising and shifting those funds to double its staff on the ground in early states, as the campaign hits the final month before the Iowa caucus. The move is calling into question whether or not the former Florida governor will pull out of the caucus altogether, given his low position in the state's polls.
Campaign officials told CNN on Wednesday that they will cancel $3 million in television advertising in Iowa and South Carolina while they prepare to reallocate the money by deploying as many as 60 campaign staffers from the headquarters in Miami to the first four voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
"Given the fluid race and the spending decisions by outside groups, we are making strategic adjustments with our resources to ensure we are in the most competitive position possible," campaign spokesperson Allie Brandenburger said in a statement, published by NBC News.
Bush senior adviser and Iowa native David Kochel suggested that his own state perhaps wasn't all that important to the success of the campaign. "We don't believe winning in Iowa is a necessary ingredient to winning the nomination," said Kochel, according to the Des Moines Register, "but we're working for a strong finish."
Bush, too, tried to downplay the decision after a campaign event in South Carolina.
"We have a super PAC that is advertising on TV at a rate that is comparable to any other campaign, if not more. And we are reallocating our resources to voter contact and a ground game that will be second to none. It already is, and we're effectively doubling that in terms of people who are in the four early states," Bush told reporters Wednesday night, according to CNN. "Having the best organization on the ground is how you win."
According to RealClear Politics poll averages, Bush comes in fifth for Iowa, sixth in New Hampshire and nationally.
