Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — Iowans flocked to Democratic and
Republican presidential-nominating caucuses as their state
kicked off voting to select the 2008 presidential candidates.
Hundreds of Republicans converged on a high school in the
Des Moines suburb of Waukee, overwhelming precinct workers
trying to register voters in time for the start of the caucus.
“The turnout is so large they cant accommodate everyone,
thats why I am turning around, said Rich Howe, who left the
Waukee High School without voting.
Entrance polls cited by CNN and ABC News showed a tight
Democratic race between New York Senator Hillary Clinton and
Illinois Senator Barack Obama, with former North Carolina
Senator John Edwards trailing. The polls also showed two former
governors, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of
Arkansas in a neck-and-neck race in the Republican caucuses.
Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses will begin the
winnowing of the Republican and Democratic fields of candidates
seeking their partys nomination to succeed President George W.
Bush. A poor showing in Iowa may prompt some candidates to drop
out of the presidential sweepstakes.
Republican Fred Thompson, whose poll numbers have been
sliding since an initial surge when he announced his candidacy,
refused to say whether he will continue his campaign to New
Hampshires Jan. 8 primary if he doesnt finish among the top
three in Iowa.
“Not going to talk about that, Thompson told CNN. “We
look forward to the results, and we will just have to see what
the numbers look like, the former Tennessee senator said.
Thompson said he would consider “the rankings and percentages
and “what the financing looks like going forward.
McCain, Thompson
Some polls show Senator John McCain threatening Thompson
for third position among Iowa Republicans behind Huckabee and
Romney.
The outcome may hinge on voters like Russ Johns, a 43-year-
old car-parts assembly worker who has never before participated
in a nominating caucus.
Johns signed a pledge in Keokuk on Dec. 31 to caucus for
Clinton. Whether he shows up to support the New York senator, he
said, depends on his work schedule.
Clinton and Obama, locked in a three-way race with Edwards,
redoubled efforts to lure politically inexperienced Iowans to
the churches, school libraries, kitchens and living rooms that
host the town-hall-style caucuses.
Clinton and Clinton
Clinton lunched at a downtown Des Moines restaurant with
her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and former Iowa
Governor Tom Vilsack. She wore a brilliant green sweater
emblazoned with the logo of the American Federation of State
County and Municipal Employees, a union that is a key component
of her turnout strategy in Iowa.
“We have a great organization, Clinton hollered to a
group of young supporters waving campaign placards.
Edwards is betting on seasoned caucus-goers. “These are
hard-core people for us, said campaign manager David Bonior.
“Theyre very mature, theyre politically skilled, theyve been
to a lot of these things.
In the Republican race, Huckabee and Romney also diverged
over how to muster voters. Romney, 60, blanketed the state with
television advertising, while Huckabee, 52, relied on supporters
to round up friends and neighbors.
Several Hours
Working against the candidates is the typically small
turnout at the caucuses — about 125,000 Democrats and 88,000
Republicans in a state of about 3 million — and the winter
weather. That, plus the need to commit perhaps several hours to
caucusing, makes get-out-the-vote drives in Iowa a bigger
challenge than in most other states.
“Caucus-goers in Iowa are like a needle in a haystack,
said Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is
supporting Delaware Senator Joe Biden in the Democratic race.
Obama took some time this afternoon to make a last appeal
to Iowans at the food court in a downtown Des Moines shopping
center, where about 400 people were eating lunch. The Illinois
senator and his wife spent 25 minutes talking to undecided
voters, shaking hands, posing for pictures and signing
autographs. The only request Obama turned down came from a man
asking him to sign a dollar bill.
“I cant sign dollar bills, Obama said, before the man
rushed to pull down a placard for Obamas signature.
Edwards at Rally
The campaign staff and volunteers held signs instructing
the diners how to find their caucus site. Obama planned to spend
the rest of the day doing interviews, watching the returns with
his family before the caucus-night party downtown, and finally
flying to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Edwards started the day with a rally at a Des Moines
Steelworkers Union hall where volunteers were using banks of
telephones to call voters.
“We are proud of the work we have done, and we are not
finished with that work, said Edwards, who was wrapping up a
36-hour marathon campaign swing through Iowa.
On the Republican side, there was no letup in the fight
between Huckabee and Romney. Huckabees campaign accused
Romneys organization of giving out inaccurate information about
caucus locations to voters for the former Arkansas governor.
Campaign Feud
“The Romney for President campaign is once again
misleading Iowans by sending incorrect precinct caucus location
information to the supporters of Republican front-runner Mike
Huckabee, the Huckabee campaign said in an e-mailed statement.
Romneys Iowa spokesman, Tim Albrecht, denied targeting
Huckabee supporters, saying the campaign had relayed faulty
information originally provided by the Iowa Republican Party.
The same locations were relayed to Romney supporters, he said.
Albrecht, who offered copies of the Iowa Republican Party
instructions, accused other campaigns, without naming which, of
using misleading tactics.
“This is a reckless and irresponsible accusation,
especially in light of the fact we have received reports from
Romney supporters who have gotten calls and inaccurate
information about the governor and caucus locations, Albrecht
said in an interview.
The top-tier candidates in both parties headed into tonight
with polls showing the races a toss-up. Obama led with 31
percent support in a Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll of Iowa
Democrats. Clinton and Edwards follow with 27 percent each. The
same poll on the Republican side showed Huckabee in the lead
with 31 percent and Romney following with 25 percent.
By contrast, Clinton had a sizable lead in an American
Research Group poll, 34 percent to Obamas 25 percent, with 21
percent backing Edwards. Huckabee led the Republican field with
29 percent, followed by Romney with 24 percent, ARG found.
To contact the reporters on this story:
James Rowley in Washington at
