2008 Presidential Campaign Blog

Republican Party Of Iowa Caucus Results

Record Turnout for Republican Caucus in Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Republicans turned out in record numbers for the Caucus Thursday. “More than ever, Iowans took seriously their role at the first-in-the-nation presidential test and attended their caucus to vote for the candidate of their choice,” remarked Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa. Turnout is expected to reach 120,000 eligible voters, a record.

As the Caucus process reached its peak, presidential preference polls were held in each of more than 1700 voting precincts in the state. Mike Huckabee was declared winner of the Iowa Caucus with Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson in second and third place.

Republican Caucus Order of Finish

1. Mike Huckabee
2. Mitt Romney
3. Fred Thompson
4. John McCain
5. Ron Paul
6. Rudy Giuliani
7. Duncan Hunter

“These candidates came to Iowa and engaged in retail politics. They sought out the leaders in the Republican party at the grassroots level, visited every corner of the state, and shared their vision for America,” Laudner stated. “This is the kind of presidential campaign our nation deserves – not a television ad battle focused on the coasts. Voters learn more about the candidates by engaging them personally in cafes and community centers than could ever be judged by slick ads and speeches in arenas.”

The Caucus process gives rise to the grassroots volunteer who selects a candidate and then campaigns for them during the event. “In no other contest does the candidate rely so completely on volunteers to carry their message,” Laudner explained. “When an individual is so passionate, so dedicated to their candidate they are willing to stand in front of their peers at the Caucus to deliver a stump speech, you realize how inclusive and relevant this process is.”

In addition to the presidential preference poll, the Caucus serves to reinvigorate the Republican Party. Precinct representatives to the County Central Committee are selected as well as delegates to the County Convention. “The Caucus is the springboard by which our Party gains leadership to move into the election cycle,” Laudner observed. “County Conventions will be held on March 8th across the state. There delegates are selected to the District and State Conventions ending ultimately in the Republican National Convention this September in Minneapolis.” New leadership is expected to become involved and active.

Moving forward, Laudner sees a bright future for the current presidential selection process. “Once again, Iowans proved themselves worthy of their responsibilities,” he concluded. “They engaged the candidates, measured them against their personal convictions, and made the Iowa Caucus the nation’s premier political event.”

Iowa Democratic Party Caucus Results

Iowa Democratic Party Caucus Results

Senator Barack Obama : 37.58%
Senator John Edwards : 29.75%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 29.47%
Governor Bill Richardson : 2.11%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.93%
Uncommitted : 0.14%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.02%
Precincts Reporting: 1781 of 1781

(Percentages are State Delegate Equivalents.)

What a night for Iowa Democrats
Results Show Good Things to Come in 2008

Des Moines – With 100 percent of Iowa’s Democratic precinct caucuses reporting by 11:15pm last night, Iowa Democrats demonstrated that they were excited by their candidates and showed up to caucus. A record 239,000 caucus goers packed schools, libraries and community centers around the state, shattering the previous record of 124,000 caucus attendees posted in 2004.

Iowa Democrats pledged to hold a well-run and accurate caucus, and last nights flawless reporting and results showed that the Iowa Democratic Party was ready.

“It was an amazing night for Iowa and especially for Iowa Democrats,” said Scott Brennan, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. “Iowa Democrats showed up in record numbers to caucus and demonstrated that the role Iowans plays as first in the nation caucus goers is something they take very seriously.”

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting Iowa Democrats saw record turnout with 239,000 caucus attendees.

Iowa Democratic Party Releases Caucus Results Public Web Site

Iowa Democratic Party Releases Caucus Results Public Web Site

Des Moines – Today the Iowa Democratic Party released details for the upcoming Iowa Caucuses, and information for the public on how they can access Democratic results on caucus night.

The Iowa Democratic Party is proud to announce a public website that will allow anyone to follow the caucus results online on January 3, 2008. The website address is https://www.iowacaucusresults.com.  Results on this website will show on the statewide, county and precinct levels.

The caucuses will be called to order at 6:30pm. Any person signed in or in line to register by 7:00pm will be welcome to participate in the caucus.

Caucus locations can be found at https://www.iowafirstcaucus.org.

To participate in the Democratic caucus, the attendee may be a registered Democrat in that precinct. If they are not registered as a Democrat or if they are a registered Republican or Independent, they can register as a Democrat of they can change their party affiliation that night.

“The Iowa Democratic Party has been planning for months to make the 2008 caucuses a remarkably successful event,” said Carrie Giddins, Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director. “The public website is just one more way we are making the events in Iowa accessible to everyone around the country and the world..”

Executive Directors Of The IDP And RPI Unveil New Caucus Logo

Executive Directors Of The IDP And RPI Unveil New Caucus Logo

Des Moines - This morning, Mike Milligan and Chuck Laudner, executive directors of the Iowa Democratic Party and Republican Party of Iowa held a press conference to unveil a new caucus logo that incorporates elements from both parties.

Iowa Jefferson Jackson Dinner Photos

Jefferson Jackson Dinner Slated To Be Largest Gathering In History

Jefferson Jackson Dinner Slated to Be Largest Gathering in History

DES MOINES – The Iowa Democratic Party today announced additional details about the 2007 Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 at 7:00 pm CST. The Dinner is expected to draw a record crowd of 9,000 attendees.

The Dinner will feature speeches by Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Barack Obama and Governor Bill Richardson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Jefferson Jackson Dinner will be held in Vets Auditorium in Des Moines. Additional speakers will include Senator Tom Harkin, Governor Chet Culver, Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge and Congressman Leonard Boswell.

Republican Party Of Iowa To Host Presidential Debate In Des Moines

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA TO HOST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN DES MOINES
Debate to be nationally televised by FOX NEWS CHANNEL 

The Republican Party of Iowa announced today that it will hold its presidential debate at Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines.  The event, to be held the evening of December 4, 2007, will be the first debate in Iowa to be televised by FOX News Channel this election season, as well as the first debate sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa. 

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Ray Hoffmann said, "With the caucuses less than a month away, our December 4 debate will be very telling to Iowans and the nation.  We are thrilled to be having this event in central Iowa, and right in downtown Des Moines which will be the epicenter on caucus night."

The debate will be limited to those candidates who have satisfied the following criteria

1. Announced a formal campaign for President: and
2. Filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission; and
3. Met all U.S. constitutional requirements; and
4. Garnered at least 5% of the national electorate as determined by an average of the most recent national telephone polls of registered voters conducted by non-partisan public opinion polling organizations leading up to the registration deadline as determined by Fox News Channel and the Republican Party of Iowa or garnered an average of at least 5% in the most recent polls of Iowa voters conducted by the American Research Group and the Des Moines Register.

UI Hawkeye Poll: Romney Leads, Huckabee Gaining; Clinton And Obama Battling For Top Spot

UI Hawkeye Poll: Huckabee gaining; Clinton and Obama battling for top spot

Mitt Romney continues to hold a strong lead in Iowa among candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination. But Mike Huckabee's Iowa numbers -- buoyed, perhaps, by growing support among Evangelical Christians -- have jumped significantly since August, putting him in a near-tie with Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, according to a new University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll of likely GOP caucus-goers released today, Monday, Oct. 29, 2007.

Despite Giuliani's lead in most national polls, Romney holds a strong lead in Iowa at 36.2 percent, with Giuliani second at 13.1 percent, Huckabee third with 12.8 percent and Thompson fourth at 11.4 percent. John McCain has 6.0 percent.

In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, meanwhile, a slip in John Edwards' numbers has allowed Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to tighten their grips on the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. Among all likely Democratic caucus-goers, Clinton leads with 28.9 percent, followed by Obama with 26.6 percent, Edwards with 20.0 percent, Bill Richardson with 7.2 percent and Joe Biden with 5.3 percent.

These results are from a random, statewide poll of likely caucus-goers in Iowa conducted Oct. 17 through 24. The Republican sample consists of 285 likely caucus-goers, with a margin of error of +/-5.8 percent. The Democratic likely caucus-goer sample consists of 306 likely caucus-goers, with a margin of error of +/-5.5 percent. Respondents in both samples were asked to name the candidate they would support if the caucus were today.

For related stories and information, visit the UI Election 2008 Web site at http://www.uiowa.edu/election.

David Redlawsk, director of the UI Hawkeye Poll and associate professor of political science in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the Republican results show that Romney is continuing to build on his solid lead among respondents who indicated that they plan to participate in the Republican caucus, regardless whether they're committed to going or just thinking about it.

"We see no differences between these two groups and no candidate catching up to Romney, who had added more than 8 points to his August lead," Redlawsk said.

At the same time, he said the move by Huckabee is notable, as the former Arkansas governor received the support of fewer than 2 percent of Republican caucus-goers in the August poll, which was taken immediately before the Iowa Straw Poll.

"Huckabee's bounce from the Iowa Straw Poll remains evident as he moves into a virtual tie with Giuliani for second place with Thompson right behind them," Redlawsk said. "McCain has shown some rebound from August, but he remains far behind in Iowa."

On the Democratic front, after declining between March and August, Clinton's support has returned to March levels among likely caucus-goers while Obama's support has also increased. Edwards, on the other hand, continues to see a decline in the number of likely caucus-goers who say he is their candidate.

"Much of Clinton's strength comes from her support among women," Redlawsk said. "She leads with 33.0 percent of women, compared to Obama's 26.5 percent and Edwards' 16.8 percent. But the order reverses with men, where Obama leads 26.7 percent to Edwards at 25 percent and Clinton at 22.5 percent. How well Clinton will actually do depends greatly on the mix of women and men who actually show up to caucus."

Iowa Democratic Party Announces New Caucus Date Of January 3, 2008

Iowa Democratic Party Announces New Caucus Date of January 3, 2008

Des Moines - After consultation with Chairman Dean of the Democratic National Committee, state Democratic party chairs, Governor Chet Culver and Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee tonight approved an amendment to the Iowa Delegate selection plan allowing the Iowa Democratic caucuses to take place on Thursday, January 3, 2008.

"This date maintains the important common-sense principle of beginning the delegate selection process in the same calendar year as the election for which we are selecting delegates," said Scott Brennan, Iowa Democratic Party State Chair. "But the overarching principle is to retain the importance of the caucuses. Holding the caucuses on the same day as the Republican Party of Iowa shows solidarity and unity in working to protect Iowa's First-in-the-Nation status, an important argument in the years to come."

The State Central Committee is the governing body of the Iowa Democratic Party. There are 43 voting members of the Committee. They were called to meet on Thursday, October 25 at 3pm, and following the party constitution, met tonight, three days later.

Iowa Democratic Party Announces Presidential Candidates To Speak At Jefferson Jackson Dinner

Iowa Democratic Party Announces Presidential Candidates to Speak at Jefferson Jackson Dinner
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Serve as Master of Ceremonies

DES MOINES – The Iowa Democratic Party today announced that the 2007 Jefferson Jackson Dinner on November 10th, 2007 will feature speeches by Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Barack Obama and Governor Bill Richardson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Jefferson Jackson Dinner will be held in Vets Auditorium in Des Moines. Additional speakers will include Senator Tom Harkin, Governor Chet Culver, Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge and Congressman Leonard Boswell.

“The Iowa Democratic Party is honored to have our presidential candidates speaking at our largest event of the year. We are also excited that Speaker Pelosi will serve as our emcee,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan. “This event will give the candidates a chance to speak directly to over 8,000 caucus-goers.”