Minneapolis – Monday night is the Iowa caucuses.
It's going to be one for the record books – the weather record books. The expected high temperature is around 2 degrees below zero, with wind gusts at 30 degrees below zero
You may think this is no big deal, as people in Iowa and the upper Midwest are used to dangerous wind chills and cold. But Iowa is a caucus state, which means that when you vote, you must go in person on Monday at 7 p.m. to your designated caucus site, regardless of the weather, or whether there is something going on, like car trouble or a sick child.
This difficulty for anyone with something unexpected, or even someone with a disability, is partly why Minnesota in 2020 stopped holding presidential caucuses and switched to primaries.
A number of Republican candidates have done so, including former President Donald Trump He expressed concern about the low voter turnout Because of the weather. Trump and his team are also concerned about another factor.
For months, Trump has had a huge lead In the Iowa state elections. The Des Moines Register poll showed that Trump still leads by a large margin of 48 points, Nikki Haley by 20 points, and Ron DeSantis by 16 points.
The Iowa caucuses are a game of expectations. While Trump's victory seems almost certain, if he does not win by a large margin, it will be seen as a poor performance.
The Trump campaign is trying to reduce expectations by saying that it will be a huge victory for him if he gets at least 12 points.
Republican analyst Amy Koch and Democratic analyst Abu Amara were guests on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m.
“This is smart for them, they need to lower those expectations,” Koch said. “Republican voters who go to the caucus, they have to be there at a certain time. There are strict rules around the caucus, and they tend to be older voters so that weather will have a big impact.”
“When it comes to Trump voters, they live disproportionately in rural areas, upstate and downstate, whereas Nikki Haley voters will be more in the suburbs, so they will have to go further for their own good.” “Party rallies,” Amara said.
You're probably wondering about the Iowa Democratic caucuses. This year, Iowa Democrats are conducting their partisan voting by mail, and the results will be announced on March 5, which is Super Tuesday. That's when Minnesota and 13 other states hold primaries and caucuses. Early voting for Minnesota's primary begins Friday.
WCCO will have full coverage of the Iowa Democratic caucuses Monday night with Carolyn Cummings reporting from Des Moines.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning every Sunday with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
