O'Rourke nearly triples Iowa staff as focus grows on first 2020 voters

[TexasTowelie]

by Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune


Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has nearly tripled his Iowa staff as the former El Paso congressman puts a growing emphasis on the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

His campaign announced Friday morning that it now has 44 staffers in Iowa, including 37 organizers tasked with spreading out across the state to build support for the candidate. That's up from 16 Iowa staffers in late April.

The organizers are holding a "Statewide Weekend of Action" this weekend, canvassing in regions throughout the state. O'Rourke himself is set to arrive later next week for a trip during which he will open an office in Cedar Rapids, his campaign's first Iowa outpost beyond its Des Moines headquarters.

O'Rourke's ramped-up activity in Iowa makes clearer than ever how important he views the state to his 2020 prospects. By his campaign's count, he has held more events and visited more counties in Iowa than any other 2020 candidate. His four-day swing next week will be his fifth trip to the state since launching his campaign in mid-March, while he has visited two other critical early voting states, New Hampshire and South Carolina, three times and twice, respectively.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/05/31/orourke-nearly-triples-iowa-staff-focus-grows-first-2020-voters/