The Beto O'Rourke campaign and its presence in southeastern Iowa have come a long way since passing through Muscatine in March. The campaign has spent $300,000 in Iowa accounting for 8% of the $8.6 million it raised in the past quarter. That's translated to more Iowa staff — 44 as of May 31 — and 11 campaign offices — one of which opened this week in Iowa City.

"This is a race that will not be won in July," said Iowa communications director Geoff Burgan. He said the campaign is spending its time and effort opening offices and getting into communities that might not get as much attention as larger metros.

For example, Burgan points to O'Rourke's July 4 visit to Williams, a Hamilton County town of about 330, which was the next-to-last stop of a three-day swing through Iowa with O'Rourke's wife, Amy, and their three children.

"That's the kind of strategy that may not make it on CNN, but it will certainly matter to people in that community," Burgan said. "There are only so many things you can do from a headquarters in Polk County. It’s really important to get those folks out there."

According to a Des Moines Register analysis, O'Rourke is second in Iowa spending only to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Meanwhile, his total donations from Iowans was $5,612.70, dwarfed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana ($42,290) and Sanders ($37,948). As of the second quarter, the campaign had received 99 donations from Iowans.

"Our team is campaigning relentlessly in Iowa — both with Beto and when he's in other states — and we're building the foundations of what we need to win the Iowa caucuses," O'Rourke's Iowa State Director Norm Sterzenbach said in a statement to the Des Moines Register. "Iowans and historians know that this race is never won in July, and we're excited about our position in this race."

The other campaign offices are in Ames, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Sioux City and Waterloo.

For those interested in the O'Rourke campaign, the Iowa City campaign office will be at 412 Highland Ave., Suite D.

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Zachary Oren Smith writes about government, growth and development for the Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com or 319 -339-7354, and follow him on Twitter @zacharyos.