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By David Redlawsk, Harkin Institute Mabry Fellow Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and Director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling   And so it begins. The quadrennial effort to change the status quo where Iowa leads the presidential nomination process with the caucuses, followed by New Hampshire’s primary, is underway. And like all efforts before it, this one seems unlikely to succeed. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus recently commented that as the planning begins for 2020, the early “carve-out” states are not sacred cows, as he put it. Instead, Priebus seems to suggest that a more regional or even national approach might be considered. Since 1976, the Iowa Republican and Democratic parties have zealously guarded their leadoff slot, even to the extent of writing it into state law, which requires that Iowa be the first event. New Hampshire also requires that it be first, but since Iowa does not hold a primary, that state has been content to be the first primary state. Every four years someone, or a number of someones, threatens the status of these two states; through all of it Iowa and New Hampshire’s positions have been maintained. And for good reason. As […]

Expecting crowds, impossible parking and being unable to find Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley because of my horrible sense of direction yet encountering none of these fears, I arrived at the festival an hour early to see the former Maryland Governor at the Latino Heritage Festival in Des Moines on Sunday, which gave me the opportunity to […]

Every town has their local busy body — that late middle-aged woman who knows how to get stuff done. Usually that person is a staple at city council meetings or door knocks for school board campaigns. But in Iowa, that type of person gets a much higher level of influence. Enter Kathy Pearson, the perennial […]

A part of the purpose of this blog is to show what makes Iowa different and important in presidential campaigns, especially before the Iowa caucuses. One of those key differences is the length Iowans make candidates go to in order to secure their votes. Candidates chow down on pork on a stick at the Iowa […]

“Are we going to get to see Bernie?” asked my overzealous sister for the umpteenth time. “Yes, yes, we will. Calm down,” I responded. (Inaudible teenage girl yippee) “Oh my gosh. Should I call him Mr. Sanders or Mr. Bernie? Does Mr. Bernie sound weird?” “I don’t know, Mr. Senator would probably be best, but […]

    I arrived late enough to Hillary Clinton’s community forum on Tuesday that I had to sit in the last row of chairs at Moulton Elementary. As I sat, perspiring in the sauna of a gymnasium, waiting for Clinton to speak, the older gentleman next to me commented that there didn’t seem to be […]

During a visit to Drake University Law School, ex-Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum stressed the need for a return to a more traditional America. The America he is referring to is one depicted in TV sitcoms we all know and love such as Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch, where times were simple and […]

Campaign speeches come in all shapes and sizes and the 2016 race has been no exception. From packing stadiums with close to 30,000 people, to stopping by a local Iowa Pizza Ranch to say a few words to voters, candidates must learn to adjust not only their approach but also their message when strategizing for […]

Last Monday, I arrived at the Iowa Democratic Party’s office in Des Moines with the intention to hand out packets of information about the Iowa Youth Caucuses to schools in the Des Moines area. However, when I walked in the door at the front of the pale, cream-colored building and asked for Tamyra, my task for […]

Finding parking around Moulton Elementary school Tuesday afternoon was quite a task. The streets were full four blocks in every direction. Finally, walking up to the school it was easy to see “Welcome Hillary Community Forum” under the Moulton Learning Center entrance sign. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was going to be speaking about issues that […]