Asa Hutchinson is polling at 1% in Iowa. He says he's still in the race to the caucus.

Asa Hutchinson walked into a humming Letz Eat diner in Chariton, where patrons sipped their coffees and ordered omelets.

Some paused to look up at Hutchinson before returning to their breakfasts and conversations. After a brief chat with Lucas County GOP Chair Bill Vaughn — and without any announcement or fanfare over his appearance — Hutchinson began to make his way through the restaurant during the Nov. 30 campaign stop. Shaking hands with diners and handing out pocket-sized candidate cards, he began with some variation of: "Hi, I'm Asa Hutchinson from Arkansas. And I'm running for president of the United States."

A similar scene played out a few hours later at a lunch stop at Outlaw Pizza in Corydon, where it was evident most patrons had dropped in for the specialty pizzas and not the presidential candidate's visit. The owner of the restaurant said she wasn't aware Hutchinson was coming to the restaurant until about an hour before.

Hutchinson, who announced his candidacy for the presidency in late April, has spent the better part of the year campaigning in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Since then, the former Arkansas governor has stopped in more than 40 Iowa cities, according to the Des Moines Register's candidate tracker, holding town halls at restaurants, touring agricultural firms like Vermeer Corp. and walking through the Iowa State Fairgrounds with his wife, Susan. His campaign says he's been to more places in Iowa — 80 cities — though that includes some unplanned stops.

Hutchinson says he will hit all of the state's 99 counties ahead of the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15.

Despite the numerous events and engagements, Hutchinson, 73, has failed to find footing in the Hawkeye State. Overshadowed by dominating presences such as former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Hutchinson's campaign has largely flown under the radar, with events often topping out at a dozen people. And even as the GOP field has continued to narrow, he has been unable to steer prospective voters in his direction, leaving some to wonder why Hutchinson has remained in the race.

A December Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Hutchinson polling at 1% — leagues behind Trump, whose support now sits at 51% among likely Republican caucusgoers, up from 43% in October; DeSantis, at 19%; and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, at 16%.

But Hutchinson says he's playing the long game. He views the upcoming Republican caucus and early races across the country as fluid and dynamic fields, where he has a fighting chance. He says his resolve to stay in the race has been further solidified by the "terrorist threat" stemming from the Israel-Hamas War.

When asked whether he'd win the Iowa Caucus in January, Hutchinson admitted he's a long way from winning and acknowledges it's not an expectation many people have.

"But I want to do well in Iowa and build a foundation so that we can go beyond Iowa," he said in an interview with the Register on Nov. 30.

Asa Hutchinson employs retail-style campaigning to small crowds

Hutchinson, who was among the first to declare his bid for the White House, put out campaign feelers ahead of that in Iowa.

In a March 29 visit to Jethro's BBQ 'n Bacon Bacon in West Des Moines, he told prospective caucusgoers: "I think the best for the future is who on our side can bring out the best of America and not bring out an appeal to the worst of our instincts. And to me that is important and that's worth fighting for."

Hutchinson, who says he espouses Ronald Reagan-era values and policies, has employed a retail-style campaign focused on covering the entire state, often speaking at meet-and-greet events hosted by local county GOP committees in towns like Wahpeton, Garber and Newton, to groups as small as eight prospective voters.

He often tells Iowans about his track record as governor of Arkansas, touting his ability to grow the state's economy while lowering taxes and promoting his success at increasing access to computer science education in the state. He also pulls from his experience working in the federal government, where he served as a congressman and as the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the undersecretary of Homeland Security for Border Protection under President George W. Bush.

Vaughn, the Lucas County GOP chair, says Hutchinson's moral values and experience are his most appealing attributes.

"You know, there's an old saying that if you can show me a man's past, you can predict his future, and I think that's true with him," Vaughn said.

Hutchinson quickly coined himself as one of the few candidates in the "non-Trump" lane and has publicly criticized the former president's candidacy while facing criminal indictment.

"The office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that's too much of a sideshow and distraction," Hutchinson previously said of Trump's legal troubles in an interview on ABC's "This Week."

Hutchinson has made the debate stage only once, criticizes the rules

Those who've heard Hutchinson's stump speech have remarked on his eloquence and knowledge of government affairs. But his views on border security, the economy and the fentanyl crisis haven't been enough to catapult himself into the national spotlight alongside GOP front-runners.

In August, Hutchinson scraped by with enough donors to meet the required number for the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, crediting the Iowa State Fair for his surge in contributors just days before the event. He's since missed the three subsequent debates, falling short of the Republican National Committee's climbing donor and polling requirements.

Hutchinson has railed against the requirements, calling them "artificial barriers to narrow the field."

Hutchinson's campaign took another hit in October when his then-campaign manager, Rob Burgess, left amid disagreements over whether Hutchinson could clinch the 2024 Republican nomination, CNN reported. Almost overnight, he replaced Burgess with longtime colleague Alison Williams. But the team running his campaign for president remains at seven employees.

Hutchinson called Burgess' departure a "mutual understanding" and said Williams' arrival allowed the team to make "adjustments" to the campaign's strategy.

Amid these struggles and met with few attendees at his events, Hutchinson has leaned into one-on-one interactions at events instead of speaking to an audience and taking questions.

Hutchinson remains convinced that his "traditional" campaign strategy — learning about the state, meeting people two or three times and understanding their concerns — "makes a difference in Iowa." He said he will continue doing a mix of large group meet and greets, as well as one-on-one interactions.

In the latest Iowa Poll, in addition to Trump, DeSantis and Haley, Hutchinson also trails entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who is in a distant fourth place at 5% and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is at 4%. He leads only Texas pastor Ryan Binkley, who is at 0%.

Nationally, Hutchinson's numbers have been equally bleak, polling at an average of about 1%.

Trump’s supporters continue to be more locked in and enthusiastic, the December Iowa Poll shows.

Among those who name Trump as their first choice for president, 70% say their minds are made up, while 30% could be persuaded to support someone else.

For Trump’s competitors, fewer say they are firm in their choice. Among DeSantis’ supporters, 30% say their minds are made up, while 70% could be persuaded. And for Haley’s supporters, 34% are locked in while 65% could be persuaded, according to the poll.

At the event at Letz Eat in Chariton on Nov. 30, around eight people, including Vaughn and his wife, Linda Vaughn, were there to meet Hutchinson.

Linda Vaughn says she was a "Trump person 100%" but has noticed recently he has been "waffling" on his abortion policy.

"If I don't go that way, it'll be DeSantis, I think," she said.

Asked what it would take for her to consider Hutchinson, Vaughn said she didn't know, but noted that a candidate with strong Christian values is appealing to her and her family.

"I mean, there's several that are good, maybe it's not their time yet, though," she said of the candidates. "Well, I think they all deserve to be heard. You know, at least go listen. They're going through all this effort. … That's our job right now, support all Republicans."

Chariton pastor Billy Rice, who attended the event, also said his first choice is Trump, but acknowledged he was open to considering Hutchinson as a candidate for which to caucus.

“Well, if you get a little bit of a good understanding of figuring out where he’s at … I mean, yeah, there’s a possibility there," Rice said.

Sharon Wilhite, a local journalist from The Chariton Newspapers who also attended his event at Letz Eat, said she didn't realize Hutchinson was a candidate until recently. But she said she wanted to "be involved in the process."

"I mean, we’re Americans and we can come out and support the underdogs, you know," Wilhite said.

Hutchinson: 'Being in the race shows respect for Iowa voters...'

Hutchinson is confident Iowans are not set on a candidate and sees the dwindling field as a chance to capitalize on his message and change caucusgoers' minds. Former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the race in late October, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, departed in mid-November.

"Being in the race shows respect for Iowa voters and to me, that's important," he said. "They want me in it, and they want to have the opportunity to vote for me. And that's important to Iowa."

When asked why he's still in the race, Hutchinson says it's for the same reason he started: "To provide the voters an opportunity to elect somebody with a consistent, conservative record that has a vision for a better and stronger America. That's why I'm in the race, and nothing has changed."

Hutchinson says that candidates who are serious about running for president should also be on ballots for Super Tuesday and beyond. He has qualified for ballots in a dozen states, including Florida, New Hampshire and Michigan, according to Williams.

"That sends a signal that we're investing in a longer approach and building momentum over time," Hutchinson said.

On an Iowa trip in late November and early December, Hutchinson stopped at more than a dozen counties. At a Dec. 7 town hall hosted by the Drake University College Republicans student organization, he told reporters he was about 80% of the way to hitting all 99 counties.

"That's what I've done. That's what I'm doing," he said. "Will this strategy work? That's up to Iowa."

He acknowledged not being on the national debate stage makes it harder to get his message out, but "every campaign has challenges that you have to overcome," he told the Register. "And you fold your tent and go home or you fight the battle."

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why Asa Hutchinson sees opportunity in Iowa Caucus despite 1% polling