“The term is used to equate the
liberal politics of the town with the communist government of the
People’s
Republic of China, although Johnson County communist party members take
issue
with that idea.”

According to the Urban Dictionary, the “People’s
Republic of Johnson County” is “a nickname for Iowa City, Iowa. Used
derisively by some and proudly by others, the nickname refers to the liberal
political philosophy of Johnson County, especially in contrast to the
surrounding counties and state. Johnson County elects Democratic and/or Liberal
candidates in rates uncharacteristic of the state of Iowa.” Some have suggested
that Johnson County secede
from the rest of the state and be better allowed to do its own thing. After
all, it already has its own capitol building. The term is used to equate the
liberal politics of the town with the communist government of the People’s
Republic of China, although Johnson County communist party members take issue
with that idea.

The truth is that despite substantial political activism in
Johnson County, when we consider the entire state, what happens in Johnson
County is increasingly a reflection of what is going on outside its borders. Its
statewide political influence was demonstrated during the last two presidential
elections. If the votes in Johnson County were removed from the calculation,
the outcomes of the 2004 and 2008 elections in Iowa would have been the same,
with Bush winning 2004 and Obama winning 2008. Johnson County did not substantially
influence these outcomes.

There is discussion of the margin of electoral victory in
Johnson County offsetting more conservative parts of the state. In tight
elections this margin may have an influence, but it seems to be a boilerplate
calculus that does not distinguish Johnson County from other liberal centers in
Iowa. To win statewide, a Democratic candidate needs to carry all of the
liberal centers. A more accurate analysis is that for a state-wide or national
candidate to win Iowa, they must campaign in all 99 counties, carry the liberal
centers in the state and persuade “no preference” voters to support them. The
numbers bear this out.

While statewide Democratic voter registrations outnumber
those of Republicans by more than 100,000, the better story is in the middle.
According to the Iowa Secretary of State’s voter registration report of March
1, 2010, the 671,965 active Democratic registrations represent only 35% of the
total number of registered voters. The largest group of voters was “no
preference” and this was 36% of active registered voters. The key dynamic in a
statewide race is how registered voters with no preference view the needs of
the state and the candidates. To the extent that Johnson County leans to the
liberal end of the spectrum, its influence in statewide contests is diminished.
Democratic candidates expect to carry Johnson County and for the most part do.
This is not expected to change in the near term.

It remains to be seen whether Iowa will be able to overturn
its longstanding conservative political outlook. The writer believes that the
state is finding its own brand of political outlook that is much different from
the way the county in which he lives is characterized. An independent outlook would
be good for Iowa retaining its “first in the nation” status with regard to
scheduling the Iowa caucuses and garnering the revenue that comes with it.  If the Iowa caucuses are about the revenue
that comes into the state from political candidates, then this would be a
pragmatic, but cynical view of the role politics plays here.

While the “Iowa Republicans” of the post World War II era
are dying and/or converting to Democrats, the average population of the state
is aging, bringing with it a natural conservatism. As Johnson County continues
to be a retirement destination, and young people leave the state in droves, it
can be expected to grow increasingly conservative. This can already be seen in
rural parts of the county. If one attended the Johnson County Democrats Central
Committee meetings in 2009, the number of age fifty and older attendees was not
much different from the rest of the 2nd Congressional District and
disproportionate to the overall county population. If the key activists in Iowa’s
most “progressive” county are a group of aging liberals, then life here will be
good, but our relevance in the political arena may continue to be diminished.

~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. He is also a member of Iowa Physicians for
Social Responsibility and Veterans for Peace. E-mail Paul
Deaton