Cruz looks to replicate Iowa ground game in South Carolina

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — For months, Ted Cruz's campaign has touted an expensive and sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation as its antidote to Donald Trump's broad populist appeal.

[...] Saturday's South Carolina primary will be a tougher test for the Texas senator, one that could shape the race between the anti-establishment rivals as the GOP contest heads toward delegate-rich March voting states.

Outside, volunteers split into groups of four and hit the road to knock on doors, armed with a smart phone app with information about the voters they'd be trying to speak to.

Beth Avery, an earnest-sounding 32-year-old with a wool American flag scarf wrapped around her neck, was out leading a group of volunteers looking for supporters in a working-class neighborhood in Greenville.

While Cruz's legion of volunteers gives the campaign an old-fashioned ethos, they're backed by a sophisticated and well-funded analytics operation that collects reams of personal information on voters.

With a large population of evangelical Christians and tea party supporters, the Republican electorate is a natural fit for the Texas senator who speaks frequently about his faith and has often butted heads with GOP leaders.