Photo

DES MOINES — Despite identifying just 1,260 Iowans who say they will vote for Jeb Bush in the state’s caucuses, after calling more than 70,000 registered Republicans, the Bush campaign denied that was another grim data point in a downward tumble for their candidate.

“Yes, I’m sure that Cruz and Carson and Trump have more IDs than we do,’’ a senior member of Mr. Bush’s Iowa campaign said. “I’m also confident we have more IDs than anybody else in the establishment lane.’’

In preparing for Iowa’s caucuses, now just three months away, one of the first tasks is to identify supporters, usually by calling people sifted from a list of registered Republicans who fit the profile of potential Bush backers.

The Bush campaign set a goal of winning precisely 23,765 votes, but so far it has identified only 5 percent of that goal. The metrics were in a presentation to Mr. Bush’s major donors in Houston this week, and they leaked out in a 112-page PowerPoint deck on Thursday evening.

“Do I wish we had more identified people who support us? Of course,’’ said the Bush campaign official, expressing frustration that the document emerged at an especially difficult time for Mr. Bush, after a lackluster debate performance and news that he was cutting his staff.

But the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private campaign matters, said the details of the Iowa field operation should be seen in context. “It’s not the greatest week of my life,’’ the official said. “Everybody knows we were hoping Jeb would have a better debate and that didn’t happen. It’s a long campaign. People love to pronounce candidates dead before they are.’’

The official said another figure in the document, showing that just four volunteers had signed up statewide, was inaccurate. Volunteers are logged in to a different type of software than the one shown to donors; the correct figure is 123, according to the official. “Last Saturday we had the best call day ever: 26 people participated in-state.’’

A figure in the memo showing that only 129 caucus precincts leaders had been recruited (out of nearly 1,700 precincts statewide) is accurate and reflects the fact the campaign is only now seeking those volunteers, the official said. “Most of the people break late.”

The campaign is “on track to organize up to our poll number,’’ the official said, meaning it would turn out the percentage of support Mr. Bush is receiving in Iowa polls on caucus day, Feb. 1. Currently Mr. Bush is at 6 percent, in fifth place, in the Real Clear Politics average of Iowa polls.

The official said the embarrassing document, first reported by U.S. News & World Report, was not intentionally made public. The official suggested the document might have been leaked by a “disgruntled donor.’’

“There is no such thing as a secret grass-roots movement,’’ the official said, meaning Iowans who show up to caucus must be organized by campaigns. And currently Mr. Bush is ahead of his establishment rivals in Iowa, who have smaller staffs and fewer field offices, the campaign official said.

“I would be shocked if Chris Christie or Marco Rubio or John Kasich have more IDs than we do.”

Directors of those candidates’ Iowa campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.