Associated Press
The Iowa frenzy is typically in full force by now.
With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses formally usher in the presidential nomination process, White House hopefuls are usually in a heated competition. They fan out across the state and pack as many events into a single day as is humanly possible — all in a bid to appeal to undecided voters and lock down support that could lift them to victory in Iowa and keep them in the race for months to come.
But as the campaign intensifies ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses, the normal frenzy is subdued. While the schedule is filling up, former President Donald Trump is such a commanding force in the party that some voters worry the contest that normally transforms Iowa into the center of the political world may turn out to be something of a snooze.
There’s still time for the dynamics of the race to shift. And Trump’s rivals are hardly ceding the state to him, working to convince voters that his victory isn’t inevitable. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has effectively centered his campaign on Iowa, pumping it with advertising and crafting a robust travel schedule of events and media availabilities. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is also campaigning throughout Iowa, stepping up criticism of Trump while laying the groundwork for a potentially stronger showing in New Hampshire, where the Jan. 23 primary includes more independent voters.
The question is whether any of those efforts will notably erode Trump’s standing, a prospect some voters find unlikely at this point.
Republicans have kept Iowa in the opening position in the 2024 campaign. But like so many traditions, Trump has abandoned some long held Iowa political practices, particularly when it comes to retail campaigning. He’s largely traded living rooms for rallies, prompting some criticism that he’s taking Iowa for granted.
Trump is stepping up his efforts in the closing weeks to prove that he’s willing to work for a win that’s so commanding that his rivals will have to give up. He is, for example, taking the rare step of holding four campaign events over two days in early January, appearing in rural western Iowa, in industrial eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River and stops in between.
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Published with permission of the Associated Press.
7 comments
Earl Pitts "Sage Expert on Everything" American
December 30, 2023 at 11:32 am
AP ALERT
AP ALERT
Good Mornting America,
Yeah another AP piece of smelly propaganda.
WHO YOU GONNA TRUST?
1.) A “SAGE TELLER OF TRUTH” such as …. oh I dont know …. lets just pick one at random ….. Earl Pitts American.
OR:
Media’s lowest “SNAKE IN THE GRASS” purvayor of “DOOK 4 BRAINS LEFTIST PROPAGANDA EVER IN THE HISTORY OF HISTORY” such as ….. oh I dont know ….. lets pick one at random ….. The AP.
There you have it America,
Earl Pitts American
My Take
December 30, 2023 at 11:44 am
Sad evidence that the caged pigs are smarter.
They at least know which way is up.
My Take
December 30, 2023 at 12:02 pm
“Dumber than an Iowa Evangelical.”
Will that replace “… a bag of rocks”?
“… a bag of wet hair”?
“… a stump”?
Tammy Brooks
December 30, 2023 at 12:48 pm
They seem to be alright people but they are gonna have to work like fighting fire with there hands tied behind them to catch up with President Trump and Make AMERICA GREAT AGAIN AND IT WILL BE! BE BLESSED
Don't Say FLA
December 30, 2023 at 9:30 pm
Let’s hope voters learned their lesson and will perhaps make their continuing protests when pollsters call their land line and maybe even on G0P primary day, but then not really vote for Trump on election day. Trump is just a protest, not a President.
Trump Smells
December 31, 2023 at 10:52 am
These are the death throes of the GQP. They will be soundly defeated in 24 and our county will finally begin moving forward again in spite of backwards thinking pockets of red voters.
It’s time for healthcare for all, quality education for all, freedom from religion and all the other benefits that come from living in what will again be the best country on earth.
Sonja Fitch
January 1, 2024 at 5:06 am
Iowa! Send those Carpet Baggers home! These men ain’t notin but trump cult insurrectionist still trying to destroy the American democracy!
Comments are closed.