'Nice guy' Tim Scott struggles to break through in Iowa against Trump and DeSantis

During the first Republican presidential debate, Sen. Tim Scott largely faded into the background as other candidates lobbed attacks and grappled for airtime around him.

Some Republicans worry he’s doing the same on the Iowa Caucuses campaign trail.

In a debate riddled with verbal assaults, Scott was at the center of few of them. He spoke for eight minutes during the Fox News-hosted event — only two candidates spoke less in the eight-person field.

He's been flying under the radar in Iowa, too, where some Republican activists and caucusgoers said they want to hear more from the South Carolina senator who is well-liked but hasn't inspired stronger feelings among would-be supporters.

“I’m hearing from Dallas County and 3rd District folks that, ‘We adore him. He’s so nice. He’s so, so nice,’” said Kelley Koch, chair of the Dallas County Republican Party. “But we wanted to give him a triple espresso (during the debate).”

According to an August Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, Scott is polling at 9% in the critical first-in-the-nation caucus state. That’s enough to put him in third place, but he trails the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, by 33 percentage points with less than five months to Caucus Day.

Scott has been touring the state regularly, but not at the pace of some of his rivals. And event attendees have begun noticing a lack of policy depth in his stump speeches.

Kathy Sieger, a retired educator who attended Scott's Aug. 30 town hall in Le Mars, said she likes Scott's ideas on education, but other parts of his policy plans seem surface level.

“I'm sure he'll have to dig a little deeper on a lot of things,” the 73-year-old registered Republican said.

'Can you sustain that moment?' Tim Scott is playing the long game in Iowa

Campaign spokesperson Nathan Brand said Scott is being intentional about when to claim his moment in the spotlight.

“The question is: When do you have your moment, and can you sustain that moment?" he said.

During the past two presidential cycles, the Iowa caucus field has fluctuated dramatically over the course of the campaign with various candidates taking turns rising into the limelight.

Some of those candidates, such as former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, peaked too soon and couldn’t sustain the early interest — and the scrutiny that comes with it.

Others, like U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, won the 2016 caucuses after amassing a strong field operation and then surging to the top of the polls in December.

This year, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy had a breakout moment during the first debate and is now grappling with an influx of scrutiny on his policy positions and past statements — a moment that ultimately may or may not be a net positive for his campaign.

"Tim's Iowa operation is built to be competitive while continuing to sustain and grow the momentum he has shown thus far," Brand said. "Tim is earning it every day, and he will continue to share his positive, optimistic message across the Hawkeye State."

With high favorable numbers and a sizeable war chest — Scott reported $21 million in cash on hand at the end of the second fundraising quarter, behind only Trump — the U.S. senator may be better positioned than some of his rivals to sustain a moment, should it come, and ride it into Caucus Day.

Nicole Schlinger, an Iowa GOP political operative and president of CampaignHQ, said Scott can place as low as third in the Iowa Caucuses and still claim momentum going into New Hampshire and his home state of South Carolina.

“Historically speaking, there's three tickets out of Iowa,” she said. “And Donald Trump's going to have one, and it looks like Ron DeSantis is going to have a second. And who gets that third ticket punched out of Iowa is yet to be seen.”

Scott has a higher net favorability rating than any other candidate in the field with 59% of likely Republican caucusgoers saying they have a favorable view of him and 17% who say they have an unfavorable view.

But 21% say they don’t know enough about him to say one way or the other, indicating he still hasn’t reached many likely caucusgoers.

A super PAC supporting his candidacy, called Trust in the Mission PAC, has blanketed the airwaves with a $40 million television ad buy that will carry through to the caucuses. Scott and his supporting PACs lead all candidates in advertising spending so far this cycle.

'Nice guy' persona helps and hurts Tim Scott on Iowa campaign trail

At an Aug. 31 event in Ottumwa, an audience member voiced concerns that Scott may be "too nice" and asked whether he has what it takes to handle difficult situations.

“I grew up in really tough neighborhoods," he told her. "My friends have been shot, buried and locked up.” 

Scott said it takes toughness to get out of those kinds of circumstances. But he questioned whether a "tough" candidate is enough to help Republicans win back the White House.

“Fighting is good. Winning is better,” he said to applause.

At the debate, Scott didn’t go after his competitors on stage, attacking them just three times, according to an NBC News analysis. He was the subject of only two attacks.

He also did little to interject and push to get more speaking time, even as moderators asked about issues like education, which have been central to his pitch to Iowa caucusgoers. He highlighted the issue during his post-debate campaign swing, urging the passage of a “parents’ bill of rights.”

In Oskaloosa, after another of Scott's town halls, 72-year-old former Republican state representative Betty De Boef said Scott didn't get enough time to speak in the debate.

"But that was partly because he's a gentleman and he didn’t butt in as much," De Boef said. "I would like to have seen him have an opportunity to say more, but I think he's — I just totally believe in his message."

De Boef currently ranks Scott third in her top picks for president, behind DeSantis and Trump.

Scott has described the debate as a "food fight" and has sought to position himself above the fray between other candidates. But he told reporters in Iowa he hopes to have more air time in the next round, which is scheduled for Sept. 27.

Still, he said, insulting others isn’t the right way to get more attention.

“I hope that we have a more meaningful, meaty debate about the underlying issues impacting the American people,” he said. “If we have that, you'll find out I’m not just a nice guy. I'm a very knowledgeable guy. I've passed monumental legislation that has transformed American economic life, and I look forward to having a chance to have that conversation about the important issues that are impacting my family, your family and all of our things.”

On the trail, Scott leans heavily on his genial persona and largely avoids criticism of other Republicans — tendencies that can appear out of place on a debate stage.

“From what I know about Tim Scott, that kind of a free-for-all debate where the moderators were enforcing the rules erratically at best, that's probably not the best place for someone like Tim Scott to shine,” said Schlinger. “That being said, though, he had the best answer of the night on life, by far.”

On a question about abortion, Scott tied his opposition to the country's founding documents and said the federal government should override liberal states with more permissive abortion laws.

"Our Declaration of Independence says our creator gave us inalienable rights that include life," he said. "That is an issue we must solve. We can't leave it to Illinois. We can't leave it to Minnesota."

That issue could be compelling in the Iowa caucuses, where 80% of likely Republican caucusgoers identify as “pro-life.” And 54% say they would be more likely to favor a candidate who advocates for a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

“In some cases, it's not the number of minutes you speak, it's what you say in those minutes,” Schlinger said.

Scott sought to emphasize his pro-life position on the campaign trail after the debate as well.

On Aug. 30, he took a private tour of the Guiding Star Siouxland Crisis Pregnancy Center in Sioux Center where he met with the center’s board chair, Rachel Boothby, as well as two employees.

He shared with the women that he had volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center in Charleston in the mid-1990s and said that the center provided a safe environment for women to slow down and “make a decision about life.”

Scott focuses on introducing himself to Iowans, some say they want more policy

On the campaign trail, Scott has held more public events in Iowa than some, but far fewer than candidates like DeSantis, Pence and Ramaswamy, who have all barnstormed the state to help raise attention and interest.

Since announcing May 22 he would run for president, Scott has held 17 public events in Iowa spread over 10 days of campaigning.

He held five of those events the last week of August, touring a crisis pregnancy center and ethanol plant in Sioux Center, as well as hosting town halls in Le Mars, Ottumwa and Oskaloosa.

Throughout his campaign, Scott has focused primarily on introducing himself to Iowans and delivering a biography-heavy stump speech.

He often brings up the fact that he was raised by a single mother and credits his success to her hard work in low-wage jobs as well as the support he received from mentors to help him eventually launch his own insurance office.

He describes himself as the poster child of the American Dream, telling audiences that, "I believe that America can do for anyone what she has done for me."

He highlighted an education plan during the Iowa trip, which he outlined in a news release with bullet points that included broad ideals like "restore American childhood" and "save Title IX and women's sports." But the plan had few firm details about how to achieve those goals.

In Oskaloosa, Jammie Bradshaw, 37 — a Montezuma rancher, veteran of the U.S. war in Iraq and a registered Republican voter — said what she saw of Scott’s debate performance made her want to see him speak in person.

“I think he does have a shot, and the reason I do is I want somebody who has a backbone," she said. "And the fact that he seems to have a backbone and is willing to stand up for what he believes in, that is a big factor in who I decide to support."

Bradshaw said Scott seems trustworthy, committed to his faith and willing to answer questions, rather dance around them. But she said she wants to hear more from him on education, including about transgender athletes participating in sports.

At the Republican debate, Scott used a portion of his closing remarks to address transgender athletes, saying, "If you’re able-bodied in America, you work. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. If you commit a violent crime, you go to jail. And if God made you a man, you play sports against men."

Josef Bausch, a 17-year-old Columbus Junction resident who will be 18 in time to caucus, is more pessimistic about Scott’s chances. He said he probably won’t caucus for Scott “because I don't think he has a chance of winning. But otherwise, I would.” 

“I think he might be a little too soft-spoken in general,” he added. 

Some Iowa Republicans say they’re ready for more policy as the calendar turns to fall.

“He’s announcing what’s going on but doesn’t pivot and take the time to talk about how he’s going to fix it with policy. We’re ready for that, Iowans are,” said Koch, the Dallas County Republican Party chair.

Koch said she feels a sense of “urgency” over this election and is ready for candidates to begin ramping up their appeals.

“We’re almost to Labor Day weekend, which is when it’s time to let the games begin,” she said.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

Annie Todd is a reporter for the Argus News-Leader and the USA Today Network. She can be reached at atodd@argusleader.com or on Twitter @annietodd96.