Buttigieg builds up staff in Super Tuesday states

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is adding to his presidential campaign’s staff in Super Tuesday states ahead of March 3, when about a third of the entire cycle’s delegates will be awarded.

Buttigieg’s campaign announced Thursday it will expand existing staff to help build and train thousands of grassroots volunteer networks in every congressional district in all of the 14 Super Tuesday states. Buttigieg will also travel to California, Utah, North Carolina and Virginia in the coming weeks and is releasing a new digital ad campaign across seven of the 14 states. 

“We are building the campaign that will not only win this nomination but will defeat Donald Trump in November. To compete in all the states on Super Tuesday, you need a massive network of grassroots volunteers,” said Samantha Steelman, the Buttigieg campaign’s organizing director for Super Tuesday states.

“For months, we have had a team building that organization by harnessing the energy and grassroots momentum behind Pete and turning it into real organizing work. This ramp up will provide more staff and resources to train, resource, and guide our 25,000 volunteers in Super Tuesday states that will push our campaign across the finish line on March 3rd,” she added.

The ramp-up, which will be complete Monday, is meant to help bolster the efforts of staff and regional directors who have already been focused on Super Tuesday. The campaign for the former South Bend, Ind., mayor said volunteers have already hosted nearly 2,000 events across the 14 states. 

Thursday’s announcement comes a day after Buttigieg’s campaign said it would also ramp up its efforts in Nevada and South Carolina, the next two states to vote, where polls show Buttigieg trailing among the heavily Hispanic and black electorates.

The campaign said Buttigieg would double his organizing efforts in Nevada ahead of the state’s caucuses on Feb. 22 and add another 55 staffers across its six South Carolina field offices.

Buttigieg has enjoyed a surge of momentum after a win in Iowa’s caucuses and a close second-place showing in the New Hampshire primary. However, polls have shown him struggling among voters of color, which could blunt his gains in Nevada and South Carolina and several other diverse states that will vote on March 3.