He has repeatedly touted his electability over Trump, pointed to the “chaos” of his criminal cases and reminded Iowans that Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.
“I think we’ve always had a target on our backs because we’re the only ones going up, everyone else is going down, and that’s a great thing,” Haley told Fox News.
Caucuses – a quirk of the American election calendar – are town hall-style meetings that include speeches and debate, held by only a handful of states.
Armies of volunteers have been roaming Iowa in recent weeks, knocking on doors or manning phone banks, while candidates have dominated the airwaves with talk show appearances and a barrage of campaign ads.
The caucus also includes some low-polling candidates, including biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Iowa Democrats are holding caucuses as well as voting by mail through March, with President Joe Biden facing two challengers but no serious threats.