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November 12, 2007
Inside The Iowa Caucus
The 2008 presidential race is increasingly honing in on Iowa, as the nation's first caucus for the Democratic and Republican contenders approaches on January 3rd. Current polling shows that on the Democratic side, frontrunner Hillary Clinton holds a six-point lead over Barack Obama if you average the polls, while Mitt Romney is up an average of 14 points in GOP polling over Mike Huckabee.
Polling, however, can be misleading when it comes to the Iowa Caucus, because voters don't simply cast a ballot and leave as they do in other state primaries. Rather, a lengthy process in all 1,800 precincts and 99 counties ensues, where caucus-goers repeatedly switch allegiances and sides before a final tally for each candidate is reached.
It is a peculiar political system that often goes a long way toward picking each party's nominee every four years. In today's Washington Post, Dan Balz has an informative blog post about the how the Iowa Caucus actually works. It's worth checking out.
The system clearly favors those who have campaign organizations spread throughout the state, rather than concentrated in just a few areas. And while being a frontrunner has advantages, it does not guarantee victory under the odd rules. Stay tuned, it will be an interesting ride these next several weeks.
Posted by houtopia at November 12, 2007 09:13 PM