Rubio is now making a major push in the state, campaigning here five of the last six weeks, and is running a schedule of 7,000 ads from Jan. 1 through caucus day. Last week, the Florida senator began running ads targeting evangelical voters. “Our goal is eternity,” Rubio said in the ad. “The ability to live alongside our creator and for all of time. To accept the free gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ.”

Rep. Megan Jones, one of Rubio’s new endorsers sat on stage at the rally in Sioux Center, after his event in her district was cancelled earlier in the day due to weather conditions.

“He may have missed his Spencer event today, but we still had a great turn out,” Jones said. “He hasn’t been here much, but the debates are really telling, people are really excited about him.”

Rubio’s campaign schedule in Iowa looks similar to Cruz’s recent swing through the state, something Goldford says is probably not a coincidence.

“If Cruz went there, why shouldn’t Rubio go there,” Goldford explained. “He’s trying to take some support away from Cruz, who has based his whole campaign on conservatives, evangelicals and tea party people. Rubio is going to follow him around and say, ‘Look, I’m the alternative.’ That makes perfect sense.”