Iowa

Iowa’s worst congressman ekes out a victory.

The Herbert Hoover of historical memory is a distant person, mostly recalled as the president who presided ineffectually over the early years of the Great Depression. Kenneth Whyte’s fine full-life biography reminds us that Hoover was himself a man of action and a remarkable American success story.…

Free speech may have become a vanishingly rare thing on university campuses, but it turns out that at least one variety of free speech is still protected: T-shirt marijuana advocacy.

Donald Trump will name Iowa governor Terry Branstad his ambassador to China, reports Bloomberg. Here's the story:

H.R. Gross worked alongside Ronald Reagan at radio station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, in the 1930s. Reagan did sports. Gross did news. But Gross’s tie to Reagan isn't his claim to fame.

Ames, Iowa

Hillary Clinton says she won the Iowa caucus, though some are claiming the state too close to call. Nonetheless, Clinton is moving on to New Hampshire with a sharp message for her supporters: "dig deep and do more."

With Hillary Clinton's dissapointing evening in last night's caucuses, there's already speculation that Clinton's campaign manager, Robbie Mook, will be fired or demoted.

Winners and losers from Iowa, ranked:

By finishing third in last night’s Iowa caucuses, Marco Rubio joined Donald Trump and Ted Cruz as a candidate with a realistic chance of winning the Republican presidential nomination. Rubio pulled himself out of the pack of long-shot candidates and sure losers in the large GOP field – by itself,…

Florida governor Jeb Bush received 5,165 votes in Iowa. His vote total constitutes 2.8 percent of the Republican turnout, placing him in sixth place in the Iowa caucus.

CEDAR RAPID, Iowa — Donald Trump told voters that he had no interest in tamping down expectations during his last event before the Iowa caucus, saying he planned to win the whole thing.

The Ted Cruz campaign bus got stuck in Iowa mud and needed to be towed.

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with editor William Kristol on what we can expect from tomorrow's Iowa caucuses: surprises.

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with senior writer John McCormack on Donald Trump's event last night in Iowa, and Trump's record with the veteran community.

Jeb Bush will be in Iowa through the weekend. But on Monday, the day of the Iowa caucus, the former Florida governor will fly to New Hampshire to hold a town hall.

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with senior writer Stephen F. Hayes on next Monday's Iowa caucuses.

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with Associate Editor Ethan Epstein and Deputy Online Editor Jim Swift on whether Donald will show up at tomorrow's Fox News Debate in Iowa.

Donald Trump framed his unqualified support of ethanol Tuesday as an act of political independence — this, before a gathering of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, less than two weeks away from the state's caucus.

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with senior writer John McCormack, live from Iowa, on whether Sarah Palin will push Donald Trump to a caucus win in Iowa.

Cedar Falls, Iowa

There are new polls out of the Democratic early states and they aren’t especially good for Hillary Clinton. ARG has Bernie Sanders at +3 in Iowa. That's probably an outlier, but the trend is pretty clear: Clinton has led by double digits in Iowa since October. Now Sanders is suddenly within single…

Sioux Center, Iowa -- Ted Cruz was running a few minutes late for his appearance at Dordt College, having to reply to the latest provocation from Donald Trump without angering the erratic businessman.

Des Moines -- There's no other way to say it: Hillary Clinton is very boring. The Democratic presidential frontrunner's campaign stops are, too. The members of her traveling press corps look like they'd rather be anywhere else. So do some of the attendees, who shift in their seats starting around…

During a speech in Iowa Tuesday, Hillary Clinton's Southern accent made a comeback. In the Midwest.

I'm ready to concede that Donald Trump is the most anomalous figure I've seen in presidential politics. He has defied the laws of electioneering so many times-reversing his favorable-unfavorable numbers despite universal name identification; thriving in the wake of incidents that would have sunk…

A new poll of Iowa Republicans shows Texas senator Ted Cruz moving into a close second to Donald Trump in the race for the presidential nomination. The Quinnipiac poll of 600 likely GOP caucusgoers found 25 support Trump while 23 percent support Cruz.

Iowa congressman Steve King has endorsed Texas senator Ted Cruz for president. Watch the video of King's announcement below:

Sioux City, Iowa

A new national poll of Republican primary voters finds retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in the lead, overtaking reality TV star and New York businessman Donald Trump. The CBS News/New York Times poll found 26 percent of Republican primary voters polled support Carson, while 22 percent support Trump.…

A new poll finds that Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is beating Donald Trump in Iowa. The poll has been released by Quinnipiac University.

The debate earlier this week in Las Vegas was very good for Martin O'Malley. According to the O'Malley campaign, the Democratic presidential candidate has now had his most succesful fundraising period.

The fallout from Scott Walker's exit from the presidential race continues in Iowa, which had been the Wisconsin governor's stronghold. The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs reports that Texas senator Ted Cruz has gained the support of three of Walker's county chairs:

Four members of Scott Walker's Iowa campaign are now aligning with Marco Rubio. With the Wisconsin governor exiting the presidential race Monday, the Walker campaign's network of activist supporters in the early primary states are free to endorse other candidates.

It’s hard to exaggerate how shocking it is that Scott Walker is out of the 2016 race on September 21.

New polls of likely Republican voters in two early primary states show Donald Trump maintaining a solid lead for the presidential nomination. The CBS News/YouGov tracking polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire show the real-estate magnate and reality TV star with big leads in those states.

More Iowa Democrats say they support Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in a new Quinnipiac poll of likely caucusgoers. According to the poll, 41 percent say they support Sanders, the Vermont senator, with 40 percent supporting Clinton, the former secretary of state and New York senator. In…

Martin O'Malley, the Democratic presidential candidate, accused the chairwoman of his party of rigging the primary process for Hillary Clinton. Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe Thursday, O'Malley praised vice chairs of the Democratic National Committee who have called for more primary debates. The…

With the summer of Trump coming to a close, the fall might belong to Dr. Ben Carson. Earlier this year, we labeled Carson "the 2016 campaign’s most interesting long shot" -- but that long-shot is seeing a rise in the polls in Iowa, and nationally.

Hillary Clinton, according to Bloomberg, 

What’s the matter with Jeb Bush? The establishment favorite and frontrunner in the fundraising primary can’t seem to catch a break. Bush’s performance in the August 6 debate in Cleveland was judged as mediocre at best. He’s dropped to number two in New Hampshire and is tied for sixth place in Iowa.…

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is nothing if not a campaign veteran. He’s run and won three statewide races since 2010, including the highly contentious recall election in 2012. In fact, since an unsuccessful bid for the state assembly in 1990 when he was just 22, Walker hasn’t lost an election.…

Chuck Grassley, the dean of the Iowa congressional delegation, recently sent out a fundraising letter/poll to Iowa voters. (He's running for his seventh six-year term in the Senate in 2016.)

On MSNBC's Morning Joe program this morning, Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley told Mika Brzezinski he'd like to see the number of Democratic debates tripled before votes are cast in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

A new poll of likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa finds that Marco Rubio and Ben Carson made the most positive impression in the first Republican debate.

Hillary Clinton still leads the Democratic field in Iowa, but according to a new Public Policy Polling survey of "usual Democratic voters" in the Hawkeye state independent Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is making gains there.

Des Moines

Hillary Clinton was spotted getting on a private jet after she delivered her global warming speech yesterday in Iowa. Fox News played the video this morning:

At a campaign event in Des Moines, Hillary dropped an awkward line -- similar to Mitt Romney's remark about the height of trees in Michigan -- to show how well she associates with voters. 

Democrat Hillary Clinton is trailing some potential Republican opponents in three key swing states, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac, and doing about as well against the GOP as one of her rivals for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders.

Rick Santorum is keeping expectations low for his second presidential campaign. Asked if he would need to win the Iowa caucuses to stay in the race, the former senator said it “depends.”

A new poll of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa finds Scott Walker with a broad base of support just a week after the Wisconsin governor officially entered the presidential race. The new survey from Monmouth University finds Walker with 22 percent support, leading his closest competitor, Donald…

Ames, Iowa

The Bernie Sanders moment does not appear to be passing, at least not yet. The latest Quinnipiac poll of of likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa shows the Vermont senator trailing Hillary Clinton by 19 points—a gaping deficit, until you consider that just two months ago, Clinton led Sanders by 45…

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is being attacked in a new ad for not being liberal enough on guns. 

Former Hillary Clinton aide Maria Cardona said she wouldn't be surprised if socialist Bernie Sanders beats Hillary Clinton in Iowa or New Hampshire:

Hillary Clinton will certainly have supporters at Sunday's rally in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, but could face some stiff competition from another event: the final day of a three-day gun show. The show is one of six being held during 2015 at the fairgrounds, and one of more than a…

Two months after Hillary Clinton entered the race to be the next president of the United States, she will be hosting a launch party in Iowa.

Tom Cotton is headed to Iowa. This weekend the freshman Republican senator from Arkansas will be a featured speaker at a Republican presidential candidate gathering in Boone, Iowa. 

Jeb Bush is underwater in a new poll of likely Republican caucus goers. The poll, which finds Scott Walker leading, was conducted by Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register.

A new poll of likely Iowa Republican presidential caucus goers finds a wide-open field with three candidates vying for the top spot and a plurality undecided. Scott Walker, the governor of neighboring Wisconsin, leads the latest poll from Loras College, earning 12.6 percent support. Florida senator…

"Do you have a statement for the Palestinians?” “What about your gaffes?” “Do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?”

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with senior writer Stephen F. Hayes on the week that was for Hillary in Washington, Ohio, Iowa, and around the world.

Iowans had their cellphones and cameras confiscated before getting to meet the Democratic presidential frontrunner, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Hillary Clinton's van parked in a handicap spot, RNC deputy communications director Raj Shah points out in a recent tweet. "Woman of the people!! @HillaryClinton Scooby Doo Van parks in handicap spot," Shah tweets.

Hillary Clinton has arrived at her first campaign stop, completing the 965 mile trip from Chappaqua, New York to Le Claire, Iowa in about two days time. Her choice of transportation? A Secret Service owned and operated van. 

A man featured in Hillary Clinton's launch ad wants Democratic candidates to challenge Clinton in the primary. He made the comment this morning in an interview with CBS:

The Republican National Committee is kicking off a paid online ad campaign just ahead of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announcement. Clinton is expected to make the much anticipated move as early as this weekend.

The super PAC supporting former Texas governor Rick Perry has a new web ad focusing on the Republican's farming roots and showcasing his recent trips to Iowa. "My background is off of a dry-land cotton farm 200 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas," says Perry in the video. "I understand blue-collar,…

Urbandale, Iowa

Iowa took umbrage, last week, over something an operative for Scott Walker said.  Or, to be precise, something she once tweeted.  For her indiscretion, Liz Mair was forced to resign from Walker’s political action committee. Walker is not yet an officially declared candidate for president but that…

As reporters and members of Congress begin to dig into the Clinton email scandal, former Democratic presidential candidate has announced an upcoming visit to Iowa. He'll be in the important caucus state from May 5-7, as part of a training sessions for the Climate Reality Project, of which he's…

Supporters of Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett Packard CEO and Republican Senate candidate from California, have started a new political action committee ahead of a possible Fiorina presidential run. The PAC, called Carly for America, will be separate and distinct from Fiorina's Unlocking…

New York businessman and former Hillary Clinton bundler John Catsimatidis says he hears from some Iowa Democrats that Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren could beat the former secretary of state and first lady in a Democratic primary. Speaking on Bloomberg News, Catsimatidis said Clinton still…

Speaking today in Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden called out to his "old butt buddy" Neil Smith, wondering whether his friend was in attendance for his speech:

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker leads an early poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters, NH1 reports:

Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard and 2010 Republican candidate for Senate in California, is moving closer to a formal run for president. According to someone close to her, Fiorina will make an announcement about her candidacy in late April or early May, shortly before the release of…

New Jersey governor Chris Christie spoke earlier today at Rep. Steve King's Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines. Christie may well have been the 2016 presidential candidate at the confab with the reputation for the most moderate conservative views. But while at first he was greeted with very modest…

Joni Ernst, a Republican state senator, has won her race for the U.S. Senate in Iowa against three-term Democratic congressman Bruce Braley, Fox News projects.

How unconfident are Democrats in their own candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa? On the day before the election, the Democratic Sentorial Campaign Committee has a full-page ad on the homepage of the Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest and most influential newspaper. But there's no sign or mention of…

Quinnipiac's final poll of the Iowa Senate race finds Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Joni Ernst tied at 47 percent. The poll shows Braley closing the gap from Quinnipiac's previous poll in late October that showed him trailing Ernst by four points, 49 percent to 45 percent.

A new Des Moines Register poll shows Republican Joni Ernst capturing a majority of Iowa voters and besting her Democratic rival Rep. Bruce Braley by a significant margin:

Just five days out from Election Day and Vice President Joe Biden is again campaigning for Iowa's Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Braley -- but not in Iowa. Thursday afternoon, Biden heads to the 8th Floor in New York City according to the official White House schedule for a 6:00 p.m. event:

Tom Harkin, the longtime Democratic senator from Iowa who is retiring at the end of the term, spoke with the New York Times about the Hawkeye State's Senate race. Harkin seems to take it as a given that Republicans will gain control of the Senate, even as his fellow Iowa Democrat, Bruce Braley, is…

The WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with staff writer Michael Warren on the competitive purple state senate races in Iowa and Colorado, and the competitive races in traditionally red states like Georgia and North Carolina.

Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa leads her Democratic opponent Bruce Braley in their race for the U.S. Senate, according to a new poll from USA Today and Suffolk University. Ernst, a state senator, has 47 percent support while three-term congressman Braley earns 43 percent.

Democrat Bruce Braley of Iowa says today's young entrepreneurs differ from his generation's because they "[sit] around in a large space with white boards." The U.S. Senate candidate said these "Millennial" start-up companies in Iowa sometimes think of ideas that go "nowhere."

First Lady Michelle Obama got the name of the Iowa Democratic Senate candidate wrong multiple times at a campaign event today:

One of the most interesting aspects of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli was an ad sponsored by the Conservative War Chest tagging McAuliffe as part of the “Gang of Five.” According to the ad, this group -- Democratic party leaders,…

Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley opposed funding any American military operations in Iraq this year—before he supported them. The three-term House member, who is running for Iowa's open Senate seat in one of the year's hottest races, touted his support for military action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria…

Democrat Bruce Braley says those who want to know his commitment to our nation's veterans need only look at the website of his Senate campaign.

Tom Harkin, the top Democrat in Iowa, tells ABC News that he has serious questions about where Hillary Clinton stands on the issues:

The Des Moines Register reports:

American Crossroads, the pro-Republican super PAC, has a new ad Tuesday running in Iowa that targets Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Braley. The ad focuses on Braley's absence from 75 percent of the House of Representatives' veterans' affairs committee hearings. On the day of one 2012 hearing…

Bruce Braley, the Democratic congressman from Iowa running for the U.S. Senate, was not listed as present at a February 2012 House hearing with then-Veterans Affairs secretary Eric Shinseki. On February 15, 2012, Shinseki appeared on a panel before the House Veterans' Affairs committee, which began…

Just before the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend, the reelection campaign for Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced its campaign manager, Jesse Benton, was resigning. Benton was leaving the campaign, Politico reports, "citing potential distractions over renewed attention to a scandal from the…

Supporters of Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley will raise money Wednesday night at the home of an attorney who once defended a Catholic bishop accused of molesting young boys. Trial lawyer Tim Bottaro will host the fundraiser at his home in Sioux City along with other supporters of Braley's Senate…

The race to replace retiring Democratic senator Tom Harkin of Iowa was considered to have favored the Democrat. At first, Republicans didn't appear to have an obvious candidate, and the state has been trending toward the Democrats for years. But the current GOP nominee, state senator Joni Ernst,…

Bruce Braley, the Iowa Democratic congressman running for U.S. Senate, touted his work on behalf of veterans at his state party's 2012 convention. "I fight for veterans every day on the Veterans' Affairs committee," he said. Watch the video below:

Republicans have distinct advantages in Senate races this year, including President Obama’s low job ratings, the number of vulnerable Democrats, and an unhappy national mood. But there’s another advantage: the generally high quality of their candidates. This wasn’t the case in 2010 and 2012, when…

Rep. Bruce Braley, the Iowa Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, missed three quarters of committee hearings concerning oversight of the Veterans Affairs administration in 2011 and 2012, including one, the Des Moines Register reports, on the same day Braley attended three fundraisers.

Joni Ernst, the Republican Senate candidate from Iowa, is getting a boost from GOP super PAC American Crossroads. A new TV ad from the group contrasts Ernst's background as "a mother and a soldier" with that of her opponent, Democratic congressman Bruce Braley.

When is it okay for a politician to discuss impeaching a president? Iowa Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst is receiving criticism for her responses to questions about impeaching President Obama. Ernst, who won her party's nomination last month, never actually said she supported impeachment.…

Representative Bruce Braley of Iowa would like to become Senator Bruce Braley of Iowa. In pursuit of this ambition, he once disparaged a sitting Iowa senator as merely a "farmer from Iowa who never went to law school,” while he, Braley, was a real, sure enough lawyer.  With a degree and everything.…

Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst, a Republican, leads her Democratic opponent Bruce Braley by five points, according to a new poll from Republican polling firm Vox Populi. The survey of "active voters" (culled from registered voters who voted in the last two elections) in Iowa found 49 percent…

Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst of Iowa leads her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley, by nearly seven points in a new poll from Loras College. Fresh off her victory in the GOP primary Tuesday, Ernst has 48 percent support from likely voters in a new poll from Loras College. Braley, a…

Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst of Iowa has a double-digit lead over her closest primary opponent in a new poll from Loras College. The survey of 600 likely Republican primary voters found Ernst, a state senator, with 30.8 percent support, while businessman Mark Jacobs comes in second with…

The Des Moines Register reports:

Mark Jacobs, a Republican candidate for Senate in Iowa, has donated more of his own money to his campaign than any candidate in Hawkeye State history. The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs (no relation) has the story:

The Washington Free Beacon reports on a new Iowa poll:

Nebraska senator Deb Fischer will travel next door to Iowa in support of a fellow female Republican running in a tough primary for U.S. Senate. According to a press release from ShePAC, a conservative women's group, Fischer will go to Des Moines later this month to campaign for Joni Ernst, who is…

In Iowa’s crowded, six-way GOP Senate primary, Joni Ernst is trying to break out of the pack by running as the only candidate who is “a mother, a soldier, and a proven conservative.”

Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register writes that:

As Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register reports, candidate for the U.S. Senate from Iowa, Bruce Braley, recently made a gloves-off appeal to an audience:

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Iowa is wide open, according to a new survey of GOP voters in the Hawkeye State. Mark Jacobs, a businessman and self-funding candidate, leads the pack with 22 percent, while state senator and Iraq veteran Joni Ernst earns 11 percent. Two more candidates,…

A candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, who calls himself a “life-long Republican,” once donated $1,000 to the Senate campaign of Democrat Jon Corzine. Mark Jacobs, a Republican businessman who is running for the Senate seat of retiring Democrat Tom Harkin this year, gave the money to Corzine, the CEO…

A gathering of pro-Hillary Clinton activists in Iowa this weekend revealed how supporters of the former first lady are hoping to learn from the mistakes of Clinton's failed attempt to win the Iowa caucuses in 2008. America Rising, a conservative opposition research firm, had its cameras rolling at…

The Des Moines Register reports:

A local Iowa affiliate reports that it could confirm only 5 people in that state have signed up for Obamacare:

The chairman of Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign is refusing to answer questions about allegations the campaign paid for endorsements before the Iowa caucuses last year. Jesse Benton, a longtime Paul aide who is now campaign manager for Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, has not replied…

In Sioux City, Iowa, a local pastor is asking for the removal of a newly appointed member of the city's human rights commission. The city council appointed Scott Raasch to the commission, which adjudicates discrimination complaints, on July 8. However, the Rev. Cary Gordon, executive pastor of…

Ted Cruz went to Iowa, where he sat down with ABC's Jonathan Karl:

Among the questions the Internal Revenue Service asked an pro-life conservative group in Iowa: What do you pray about? Chris Moody at Yahoo! News has the story:

Republican congressman Steve King of Iowa will not run for the Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Tom Harkin next year. The Hill reports:

Democratic representative Bruce Braley is running for the Iowa Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Tom Harkin, but he might want to learn how the upper body functions first. In an interview on a local news station, Braley was asked about why the Senate has not passed a budget in nearly…

Iowa congressman Bruce Braley told supporters in an email that he was "ready to go" and is forming a committee to run for the U.S. Senate. Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, is hoping to succeed retiring Democrat Tom Harkin and is the first major candidate to announce his intention to run for the…

The AP reports:

At an event in Washington, D.C. this evening, Paul Ryan asked Marco Rubio, "Know any good diners in Iowa or New Hampshire?" The reference, of course, is to the first state to hold a primary contest (the Iowa Caucus) and the first to in the nation to hold a primary election (New Hampshire).

The 2012 presidential election is over, but perhaps the 2016 contest has already begun. Florida senator Marco Rubio, a star in the Republican party, is headed to Iowa. 

The four polls taken this week in Iowa that are listed by RealClearPolitics show widely different results.  NBC/WSJ/Marist shows President Obama up by 6 percentage points — 50 to 44 percent.  Gravis Marketing shows Obama up 4 points — 49 to 45 percent.  WeAskAmerica shows Obama up 1.5 points — 48.8…

Vice President Joe Biden was greeted with talk of a 2016 presidential run at a campaign stop for Barack Obama earlier today in Iowa. This happened multiple times during his visit to an Obama field office in Davenport, Iowa. 

Mitt Romney has received the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest paper. The Register last supported a Republican candidate for president 40 years ago, in 1972, when it endorsed Richard Nixon. Read an excerpt from the Romney endorsement below:

Seems like the press are being kept far away from Joe Biden--and Iowans--at the vice president's rally today. Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register reports on Twitter:

President Barack Obama praised his signature health care legislation in his own signature, the Des Moines Register reports. Obama autographed a University of Iowa medical student's lab coat with the phrase, "Go Obamacare!" after a rally in Iowa City Saturday. Here's more from the Register:

Vice President Joe Biden is looking ahead to the 2016 presidential election, according to a new ebook by Glenn Thrush. 

Worth watching: Jeffrey Bell on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal this morning, making the (contrarian) case for the importance of social issues in this year's campaign. For more on this, take a look at his fine book, along with his recent articles in THE WEEKLY STANDARD: here, here, and here.

In Iowa last night, a chant of "four more beers!" broke out for President Obama, and he offered to buy beers for 10 people, but not for a supporter of Mitt Romney. Via the pool report:

Of the ten swing states, unemployment dropped in only one--Ohio--in the month of June. And things got worse in 6 of the ten swing states, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A campaign spokesman for President Obama's reelection team, Jen Psaki, seemed to agree with an MSNBC host earlier today that the president is not able to run on "hope" and "change" this election cycle:

At an apparently unscheduled stop at a Boys and Girls Club in Sioux City, Iowa, Vice President told a group of about 75 boys about the 2008 election. "I never intended to get involved in politics and become vice president," Biden reportedly said, according to the pool report. The pool reporter then…

The Des Moines Register reports: 

Via Hot Air, there are two reports from precincts that election night tallies were wrong. In one instance, a man credibly claims that Romney was awarded 20 more votes than he actually received. But Santorum said on Fox News last night that 21 Romney votes weren't counted in another precinct, so…

At National Review Online, Artur Davis takes a look at the electability of the GOP contenders after Iowa. The conventional wisdom is that this issue is a big advantage for Mitt Romney, but Davis isn't so sure that Santorum can't defy expectations:

Radio host Bill Bennett woke Rick Santorum up this morning after his near victory in Iowa last night. “I just called Rick Santorum’s cell,” Bennett said. “And I woke him up. I feel terrible!”

Ankeny, Iowa

The top-5 finishers in the Iowa Republican caucus had widely varying degrees of success in turning money spent into votes received. According to data published by BuzzFeed, showing how much was spent on Iowa media ads by each candidate (or by the super PACs and others who supported them), here’s…

James Novogrod of NBC tweets some developments this morning suggesting that Bachmann's out:

Yesterday, I posed five questions about the Iowa caucuses, and the answers are now in. Mitt Romney set a new all-time record for the lowest winning share of the vote (for either party) in the Iowa caucuses — 25 percent — one point lower than Bob Dole’s 26 percent level of support in 1996. That’s…

In the Iowa caucuses, winning isn’t enough. Mitt Romney narrowly defeated Rick Santorum in the first contest in the Republican presidential race, yet his prospects of capturing the nomination were scarcely improved.

Manchester, N.H.

Bedford, N.H.

BuzzFeed reports:

David Brooks: "Workers of the World, Unite!"

So, uh, George Packer at The New Yorker wants to give Republicans a piece of his mind:

The first Gallup poll released in the New Year — covering the period from December 26 through January 2 — shows Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich practically tied with 24 and 23 percent support, respectively, among registered Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Ron Paul is all alone in third…

The boss said on Fox News earlier today that no one is really sure how well Mitt Romney will stand up to attacks. "[Romney] has not been subjected to a lot of negative attacks from his competitors on the Republican side," the boss told host Megyn Kelly. "They've been busy cutting each other up. .…

As voters get their first formal chance to weigh in on the Republican presidential nomination process, here are five questions that will be answered during tonight’s Iowa caucuses:

At 9:55 a.m. Tuesday morning, this Jake Tapper tweet came sailing across the ether: “Near the breakfast buffet, Senator Rand Paul chatting with Bill Kristol.”

On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich lowered the boom on Mitt Romney in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan. Gingrich criticized his GOP rival as a "Massachusetts moderate" while touting himself as a "Southern conservative." Asked if he ought to be responding more aggressively to attacks…

ABC News: "Romney in Iowa: ‘We’re Gonna Win This Thing’"

Des Moines, Iowa

Perry, Iowa

With Newt Gingrich now coming in fourth in Iowa polls, the former speaker of the House is playing down expectations before tomorrow's caucuses. "I don't think I'm going to win," Gingrich reportedly told the press. "If you look at the numbers, that volume of negativity has done enough damage. But on…

A new survey of Iowa Republicans from GOP firm InsiderAdvantage shows a close, tough race the day before the Iowa caucuses. National front-runner Mitt Romney has a miniscule lead at 22.7 percent over Ron Paul at 22.4 percent. Rick Santorum, who is surging in many recent polls in the Hawkeye State,…

It’s likely that no candidate will win so much as 30 percent of the votes cast in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses. Yet you can bet that the press corps will crown as the big winner the candidate who gets perhaps one-quarter of the votes of caucus-goers in a state that’s half the size of the average…

PPP polled likely Iowa GOP caucus voters on Saturday and Sunday and found that the race is "headed for a photo finish":

It’s started early this time. Nobody in Iowa has cast a vote in the 2012 Republican presidential caucuses. It’s not even 2012. But the quadrennial calls for an end to Iowa’s first-in-the-country caucuses have begun.

Rick Santorum, the Republican presidential candidate who's turned Iowa into a surprising three-way race, sat down on Meet the Press with David Gregory this morning. You can watch it here:

The latest poll of Republican Iowa caucusgoers by the Des Moines Register finds Mitt Romney maintaining a slight lead over his Republican rivals with 24 percent support. In the survey, conducted over four days in the last week, Ron Paul comes in a close second with 22 percent, and Rick Santorum…

Des Moines

Marshalltown, Iowa

As Jonathan Last pointed out, John H. Sununu, the former chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush and a top adviser for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, recently told the New Hampshire Union Leader that "Iowans picks [sic] corn and New Hampshire picks Presidents."

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released yet another ad, though today's is targeted at New Hampshire, the state that holds the first in the nation primary:

NBC reports on its latest Iowa poll: 

We’re just a few short days away from the Iowa caucuses. And with that in mind, here are five big points to consider about the caucus, and what they mean for the GOP nomination battle.

Mason City, Iowa

Rick Perry’s presidential campaign released a tough new ad Thursday targeting Rick Santorum and his history of supporting earmarks in Congress. Why is Perry attacking a candidate who has been mired in single digits in Iowa despite living there for most of the past several months?

The latest poll from Rasmussen seems to confirm that Rick Santorum is on the move in Iowa:

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry seems to be offering his closing argument for caucusgoers in Iowa in this 30-second television spot:

Jon Huntsman has a new web ad out hammering Ron Paul's racist, anti-Semtic, conspiracy-minded newsletter:

Des Moines

The latest CNN poll of Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans show Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, in the lead in both states. The New Hampshire poll confirms Romney's long-held advantage over his GOP opponents at 44 percent, 9 points up from a similar poll conducted by CNN earlier…

Dyersville, Iowa

Newt Gingrich has released a 30-second ad that will air on television in Iowa starting on Wednesday. The ad focuses on his jobs plan and reminds Iowa Republicans of Gingrich's strong debate performances this past fall. Watch the video below:

Mitt Romney's latest television ad is airing in Iowa a week ahead of the January 3 caucuses. The thirty-second ad focuses on Romney as a "conservative businessman" and features his promise to "get rid of Obamacare." Watch the video below:

KCRG in Iowa reports: 

Rasmussen's latest Iowa poll: 

Manchester, N.H.

The latest PPP survey shows six Republican candidates with double-digit support in Iowa but no one with even 25 percent support. The poll shows Ron Paul leading with 23 percent support, followed by Mitt Romney at 20 percent, Newt Gingrich at 14 percent, and Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Rick…

Sioux City, Iowa

Matthew Continetti predicted earlier today that tonight's debate could be “Michele's Moment.” He may well prove to be right.

Your Paul Ryan-Ron Wyden Medicare Round-up: Josh Barro urges "On Medicare, Save Money Now"; Ben Domenech has "Eight Answers from Paul Ryan"; Phil Klein discusses "Ryan's bombshell Medicare compromise"; and James Pethokoukis on "My Q&A with Paul Ryan on his new Medicare reform plan."

Sioux City, Iowa 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that we do not know who the GOP presidential nominee will be:

Mitt Romney erased any doubt that he’s playing to win the Iowa caucuses when he rolled out his first campaign ads in the Hawkeye State last week. A glossy paper mailer pitched Romney to socially conservative Iowans as “the strongest Republican to beat Barack Obama and protect our values.” Romney’s…

Tonight’s Republican debate in Iowa was the first one since Newt Gingrich moved into first place in the polls. The focus was mainly on him, the former speaker of the House. It was also the smallest debate of the GOP primary, featuring only six candidates—Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Ron…

Mitt Romney released a new ad Tuesday that touted the fact that the former Massachusetts governor has been married to the same woman for 42 years and has been a member of the same church his entire life. 

The new Des Moines Register poll shows Newt Gingrich with a 7-point lead in Iowa over Ron Paul, and a 9-point lead of Mitt Romney.  “It’s a three-person race, but there’s a clear leader,” says J. Ann Selzer, the Register’s pollster. The last poll conducted by Selzer — the recognized expert in Iowa…