Gov, Chris Christie will spend three days in the first caucus state of Iowa next week.
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. -- Gov. Chris Christie, crisscrossing the first primary state of New Hampshire this week, will do the same in the first caucus state of Iowa next week.
Beginning Monday, after spending Christmas weekend off the campaign trail, Christie is scheduled for three days in Iowa, where polls show him far behind the front-runners, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and businessman Donald Trump. He is to visit eight cities over three days, including holding four town hall meetings. The governor has landed some high-profile endorsements in the state, even as his poll numbers continue to sag.
An average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics places Christie in an eighth-place tie with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the caucuses in 2008, with 2 percent. Cruz averages 30 percent and Trump 26 percent.
The campaign announced the Iowa visit as Christie began a four-day, nine-city bus tour of New Hampshire. The two states serve as weeding-out process for the presidential field, with those finishing poorly see their support and campaign funds quickly dry up.
The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 1 and the New Hampshire primary Feb. 9.
Iowa is a less hospitable state for a northeastern governor like Christie. Evangelicals or those identifying as "born-again" accounted for 57 percent of participants in the 2012 Iowa GOP caucuses, according to entrance polls.
Christie skipped the Values Voters Summit, a September gathering of Christian conservatives in Washington, choosing instead to campaign in New Hampshire, where polls show him fighting for second place behind Trump.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.