Haley wrestles DeSantis, aiming to prove himself at Iowa

In the early days of the election cycle, Republican voters and elected officials in Iowa said they saw little of Ms. Haley. She polled in single digits and lagged behind her rivals in fundraising, making it difficult to campaign in a rural state that will need more time and money to gain ground. But her campaign has gradually added more staff and expanded its footprint in Iowa since the summer. Last month, her Iowa team added two new members: Hooff Cooksey, Governor Reynolds’ campaign manager during her 2018 run, and Troy Bishop, the 2022 field director for Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Before the most recent Republican debate in Miami, a group of Iowa farmers and agricultural leaders announced their support for Ms. Haley’s bid, citing her tough language on China, her positions on renewable energy and her promises to roll back government regulations. On Tuesday, she released a list of more than 70 messages of support from elected officials, community and business leaders.

In interviews, Ms. Cournoyer and some of Haley’s supporters argued that while much of Trump’s support in Iowa is immobile, Ms. Haley had a chance to make amends with independents and moderates. Bob Brunkhorst, a former senator and former mayor of Waverly on that list, said her team was smart not to spend too much early in the cycle and wait for expansion in the state.

“They know how the game is run,” he said, “and when to peak.”

On Monday, Ms. Haley’s campaign announced that it would spend $10 million on television, radio and digital ads in Iowa and New Hampshire starting the first week of December — the first advertising investment of the cycle and an amount that has so far is greater than that of DeSantis. campaign in the coming months.

In a news conference the next day, Mark Harris, the chief strategist for Stand for America, the super PAC supporting Ms. Haley, said the PAC had helped level the playing field for her in Iowa. (Mr. DeSantis’ allied super PAC, Never Back Down, has invested roughly $17.7 million in the state for this year and January, and Stand for America has pledged $13.6 million, according to AdImpact, a media company to follow.) He further projected growth and claimed the DeSantis campaign had backed itself into a corner.