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In Iowa's Obama-Trump counties, Democrats didn't turn out
In anticipation of equally big crowds at the caucuses, state and local Democratic officials scouted out and booked larger venues to prevent the overcrowding that had overwhelmed some caucus sites four years ago. But on Monday night, Democratic county leaders across the state were stunned to see small lines and empty seats in precincts that have been known to draw large crowds.
In Precinct 18 in Dubuque, where some of the area’s most loyal Democratic voters reside, county chair Steve Drahozal had anticipated a turnout of 300 to 400 people inside the expansive high school gym he’d reserved to accommodate the crowd. He began to worry when he walked outside into the school lobby, where they’d set up registration tables, to find no lines about a half-hour before the strict 7 p.m. start time. “I was completely shocked,” he said, adding that other precincts in the county had reported turnout at 2016 levels or below.
Precinct 18 drew 217 people — about the same number as 2016. That total included 65 people who had newly registered to vote on-site. Inside, many surprised Democrats looked around the room and took note of the friends and neighbors they knew who were missing. “It’s unusual. This precinct is really Democratic and gets a great turnout, maybe the best in the county,” said Greg Simpson, a local Democratic activist and former county chair.
Dubuque County, one of the 31 counties that flipped from Obama to President Trump in 2016, had been an intense focus of organizing and candidate visits. “It means they spent over a year on campaign outreach, and they didn’t turn out enough people,” Simpson said.
Dubuque County wasn’t the only place that drew less than expected turnout. The candidates had devoted time and attention to the string of counties to the south that wind along the Mississippi River where Trump won in 2016 and Democrats are now trying to win back.
Like Dubuque, many precincts in those counties saw smaller crowds than expected.
In working-class Wapello County in southeast Iowa, turnout was lower than in 2016, according to county chair Zach Simonson. “We’re working on gauging why that was the case,” he said. “The best argument I’ve heard that squares with talking to voters is that Democrats are more invested in defeating the president than in choosing a nominee.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/09/iowas-obama-trump-counties-democrats-didnt-turn-out/
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided