Iowa speaks first in the race for the White House tonight, and we could see the first “poll numbers” that actually count by about 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. tonight.
The caucus process for choosing candidates is far different than our primaries here in Wisconsin.
“It’s a tradition. They’ve done it forever here,” Charles Benson tells Wisconsin’s Morning News.
Benson, TMJ4’s Chief Political Reporter, has spent a lot of time covering this and other campaigns in Iowa.
“The one thing I have known, being here several times, they take this commitment serious,” Benson explained. “They really feel it’s important. They do want to send a message. They want to be the first in the nation to sort of take a look at this.”
Democrats in Iowa allowed people to mail ballots in for the caucus, but GOP voters need to turn out tonight.
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“You’ve got to show up tonight at 7:00 p.m., whether it’s the local school, the local library, or in some rural areas, even someone’s home,” Benson explained.
Iowa is locked in the same deep freeze as southeast Wisconsin, so getting to those evening events will be a challenge.
“It’s going to be so cold here that turnout is so unpredictable,” he continued.
With Democrats on their way to renominating President Biden, all the focus is on the Republicans’ results. Former President Donald Trump has a commanding lead in the polls. Second place in Iowa is still a big prize that could propel Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, or former Ambassador Nikki Haley into the “Trump Alternative” space. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is running 4th in Iowa polls.
“The question is, how long is this runway going to be?” Benson questioned. “Does it get all the way to Super Tuesday? Does it get all the way to Wisconsin in April? That’s the big unknown here, and I think what Iowa could potentially tell us is who are the top two or three candidates that can go forward.”
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