Tradition, Culture Mix to Make Iowa Battleground Zero
by Mike Glover, AP, QCTimes.com
DES MOINES
— Iowa’s vibrant political culture and economic change are among the
forces that have helped divide Iowans and made the state a
battleground, according to two top political activists.
…Elections
settled by such a narrow breadth signal a political shift in Iowa. Just
a generation ago, Iowa was so reliably in the GOP’s pocket that
Democrats didn’t even try that seriously. Iowans predictably backed
Republican Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford and Reagan.
But in 1972, Iowa Democrats adopted new rules that made their precinct caucuses first in the nation.
“The
first thing that happened was the organization. The Democratic Party
organization here became one of the best in the country, probably the
best in the country,” said Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines attorney and
top Democratic activist….
Added to
that mix is Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who has held his seat
since 1984 largely because of his meticulous construction of an immense
field operation.
…“When we added Gov. Tom Vilsack to that stable, it really put the party in a strong position.”
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