Just a quick note on the institution of the Iowa Caucuses before we forget all about it.
- The Democrats, bowing to the problems shown in the 2020 caucus and the Democratic Party’s preference for “first” to be somewhere else, have rearranged their caucus process.
The Iowa Democratic Party Caucuses are now more accessible than ever. Iowa Democrats can cast their Presidential Preference by mail. To request a Presidential Preference Card, fill out the online form below or download a printable form, fill it out, email it or return it in the mail.
Filling out the online form is the fastest way to submit your request. The last day to request a Presidential Preference Card is February 19, 2024. Preference Cards will be mailed out starting on January 12, 2024. [Results will be announced on Super Tuesday, March 5].
If you’re interested in becoming a delegate, volunteering, or getting more involved in the Iowa Democratic Party, join us for our in-person Iowa Caucuses on January 15, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
But even as Haley has moved into second place, a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll indicates her support may be based on “shaky ground,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll….
The Iowa Poll shows 48% of likely Republican caucusgoers pick Trump as their first choice for president — a slight dip from the 51% who said the same in December.
Haley, who has shown more upward momentum since the start of the caucus cycle than any other candidate, now sits in second place at 20%. It is her best showing in the Iowa Poll, and an increase of 4 percentage points since December.
[the point NOT covered by the national news] “The deep data on (Haley) suggest she looks stronger in the poll than she could on caucus night,” Selzer said.
- There is a great deal of doubt about the traditional axiom that there are “three tickets out of Iowa.” Business Insider pointed out some of the problems:
Traditionally, there are "three tickets" out of Iowa, meaning the top three or so finishers move on to the rest of the GOP primary calendar and the rest of the field drops out. In recent years, national parties have imposed polling and other thresholds for their major debates that have effectively winnowed the field before voting even begins. Some presidential hopefuls, most famously the late- Sen. John McCain, effectively skip Iowa, betting that the electorate in other states such as New Hampshire will be more favorable to their campaign.
Relief is the immediate feeling in the wake of the Iowa caucuses by those involved: the frozen press corps, the campaigns trying to crack a hardheaded lot, and we residents who could use a respite from all the trash-talking and demonizing. This was probably the last big show. The Democratic caucuses were thrown to the wayside by the national party, and the Republican process is bound for change despite the determination of state party leaders. Iowa’s run as the kickoff state, by all appearances, is finished….
The caucuses nationalized our politics. They brought us book banning and immigrant bashing. The money and messaging are nonstop and get inside our heads. Lifelong friends from Storm Lake hurl insults at one another on Facebook. It’s sad, and pathetic, because we know we are better than this. When the caucuses leave, so does the cancer of money. Or so we could hope.
We have become so extreme that a politician in the mold of Bob Ray, Fred Grandy or Berkley Bedell wouldn’t stand a chance today. A lot of that is because of the caucuses. Our polarization is more acute than it otherwise might be, were it not for the shadow of dark money that casts such a pall over us.