Vivek Ramaswamy moves campaign headquarters from Ohio to Iowa and New Hampshire

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will move his campaign headquarters from Columbus, Ohio, to Iowa and New Hampshire, his campaign says.

Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati native, will split his headquarters between Des Moines and New Hampshire as he places a heavy emphasis on the first two states in the Republican nominating process, said campaign spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses are Jan. 15.

Ramaswamy rented an apartment in Des Moines in early November and has been telling attendees at recent events that the future of his campaign rests solely on the results of the Iowa Caucuses.

"The only chance we have is Iowa," he said in Oskaloosa on Oct. 21. "If I win Iowa, I'm your next president."

The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Oct. 30 found that 4% of respondents said Ramaswamy was their first choice for president, tying him for fifth place in the poll with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Trump remained the Republican frontrunner, with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis tied for second place.

McLaughlin said Ramaswamy is coming off of a strong showing during the third Republican debate Wednesday in Miami. Ramaswamy has also took out an an 'eight-figure" ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire early this month as he shifted resources to those states.

"We're going to go to the places that this race is going to be won and that's Iowa and New Hampshire," McLaughlin said. "If he's going to be living there, the staff's got to live there."

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Vivek Ramaswamy moves campaign headquarters to Des Moines